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Can the World End Obstetric Fistula and Restore Dignity for Women?

By Staff Writer Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, former Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), once made a powerful statement while advocating for maternal health and safe childbirth: “No woman should die while giving life.” Yet for hundreds of thousands of women around the world, surviving childbirth can still come at a devastating cost. Every year, women and girls emerge from prolonged, obstructed labour with a preventable injury that leaves them incontinent, isolated, and stripped of their dignity. This condition, obstetric fistula, remains one of the clearest indicators of inequality in women’s healthcare and one of the most urgent maternal health challenges of our time. For many women, childbirth is expected to be a moment of celebration, the beginning of a new chapter filled with hope and promise. Instead, for those affected by obstetric fistula, it can become the beginning of years of physical suffering, social exclusion, and…

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Happenings

Women in Blue Helmets: The Growing Force Transforming Global Peacekeeping

Women in Blue Helmets: The Growing Force Transforming Global Peacekeeping

By Blossom Ukoha As dawn broke over a remote village in South Sudan, a young mother cautiously approached a United Nations patrol. For months, fear had kept her indoors. Armed conflict had displaced families, disrupted livelihoods, and shattered trust in institutions. But on that day, she walked directly toward a female peacekeeper wearing the iconic blue helmet. The woman listened patiently, spoke with empathy, and helped connect the community to protection services. For the villagers, the presence of women in the peacekeeping force represented more than security; it offered trust, understanding, and hope. This scene reflects a growing reality across conflict zones worldwide. Women peacekeepers are increasingly becoming essential actors in the global pursuit of peace, helping communities rebuild after violence and contributing unique perspectives that strengthen peacekeeping missions. Yet despite their proven impact, women remain significantly underrepresented within United Nations peace operations. United Nations peacekeepers are military personnel, police…

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UN Day

World Health Day 2026: When Women Stand with Science, the World Heals

World Health Day. AWM

By Blossom Ukoha There is something profoundly powerful about women shaping the future of health through science not just as caregivers, but as innovators, leaders, and change-makers. As the World Health Organization (WHO) unveils the 2026 theme for World Health Day, “Together for health. Stand with science,” it invites the world into a deeper truth: when women stand with science, entire generations are lifted into healthier, more equitable futures. This year’s theme is more than a global call it is a celebration of collaboration, resilience, and possibility. It champions the One Health approach, recognising that the well-being of people, animals, plants, and our shared environment are intricately connected. But for women and girls across the world, this message carries an even deeper resonance. It speaks to visibility, to equity, and to the urgent need to center women not only as beneficiaries of health systems, but as architects of them. The…

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Happenings

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: Celebrating Women, Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: Celebrating Women, Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers

On a modest community field in Latin America, a young girl once stood at the edge of a football pitch, hesitant, unsure if she belonged. The space felt unfamiliar, even unwelcoming. But with encouragement from a local sport for development programme, she stepped forward. Weeks turned into months, and uncertainty transformed into confidence. She began to lead drills, speak up in school, and support other girls finding their voice. What started as a game became something far greater, a pathway to self-worth, leadership, and possibility. Her story mirrors the lived experiences of millions of women and girls across the world. It is this quiet yet powerful transformation that sits at the heart of the 2026 theme for the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace, designated by the United Nations as “Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers.” For women, this theme is not abstract. It is deeply personal, profoundly necessary,…

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UN Day

World Meteorological Day: From Data to Action—Why Women Are Key to Protecting Tomorrow

World Meteorological Day: From Data to Action—Why Women Are Key to Protecting Tomorrow

During her address on the occasion of World Meteorological Day 2026, Celeste Saulo, Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the first woman to hold this position, delivered a message that captures both urgency and responsibility: “Because when we observe today, we don’t just predict the weather, we protect tomorrow. Tomorrow’s people. Tomorrow’s planet.” This statement reflects the essence of this year’s theme, “Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow.” It underscores the critical role of global Earth observation systems, satellites, radars, ocean buoys, and ground stations in shaping accurate forecasts, strengthening climate monitoring, and enabling early warning systems that safeguard lives and livelihoods worldwide. But beyond the systems and science, it also raises a critical question: who is driving these systems, and who is ensuring they reach those who need them most? Increasingly, the answer includes women. A World under Pressure and Women Responding at the Frontlines The urgency of…

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Happenings

Celebrating International Women’s Day: Progress, Persistence, and the Pursuit of Equality

By Blossom Ukoha “We have never been so close to achieving gender equality, and never closer to losing it.” These words from Sima Bahous, delivered in her official statement for International Women’s Day 2026 on behalf of UN Women, capture the urgency of the moment. In addition to the global “Give to Gain” campaign, the United Nations has emphasized the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For All Women and Girls,” calling on governments, institutions, and communities to dismantle the structural barriers that continue to prevent women and girls from achieving full equality. For many women around the world, the struggle for equality is not an abstract debate, it is a lived reality. Consider the story of Maria, a young woman from a small coastal town in Latin America. Growing up, she watched her mother wake before dawn each day to sell food at a roadside stall while caring for five children.…

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Health & Wellbeing

World Diabetes Day 2025: Women and Diabetes — A Global Call to Care, Prevent, and Empower

World Diabetes Day 2025: Women and Diabetes — A Global Call to Care, Prevent, and Empower

By Blossom Ukoha “Globally, women with diabetes have a right to a healthy future and to equitable access to diabetes medicines, technologies and self‑management education.” — World Health Organization (WHO) On World Diabetes Day 2025, as the world marks the theme “Diabetes Across Life Stages,” attention turns to the unique challenges faced by women living with diabetes. As the World Health Organization reminds us, “women with diabetes have a right to a healthy future and to equitable access to diabetes medicines, technologies and self‑management education,” this day underscores the urgent need to ensure that every girl and woman, from adolescence through reproductive years and into older adulthood, has the tools, knowledge, and support to prevent, manage, and thrive despite diabetes. Recognizing these gender-specific barriers is critical not only for individual health but for empowering women, protecting maternal and child well-being, and strengthening families and communities globally. The Rising Global Burden…

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