ABOUT US

UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations.

UNIFEM provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. Working in partnership with governments and nongovernmental organizations, as well as other United Nations agencies and development organizations, UNIFEM strives to transform women's lives by advancing fulfilment of international commitments to gender equality, as contained in key plans and agreements adopted by world governments. These include the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), UN Security Council resolution 1325 (SCR 1325) on Women, Peace and Security and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

 

 

UNIFEM in Central and South East Europe

 

The end of Soviet-controlled Governments in the former Eastern Bloc almost 20 years ago paved the way for the rapid transition of the countries in the region from central planning to market economies and from one party system to democratic pluralism. For some countries in the region the transition has been relatively smooth, while for others it has been a painful process, accompanied with wars (former Yugoslavia) and country divisions along national and/or ethnic lines. Nowadays, this region is in a way more divided than ever: ten countries (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovenia and Slovakia) already joint the European Union while others are still striving to fulfill the conditions necessary for receiving an invitation to the Club. In both, the more fortunate and less prospering countries of the CEE/SEE region the transition has taken a toll on the marginalized and socially excluded segments of society among which women, especially women with multiple disadvantages (ethnicity, class, lack of education, health, etc.) typically represent the most vulnerable part.

 

With sub-regional headquarters in Bratislava, Slovakia, UNIFEM CEE is focusing on upholding women’s human, economic, social and political rights. Through its programmes and projects UNIFEM CEE is supporting implementation of the existing international and national commitments to women’s rights and gender equality, provides technical assistance to duty bearers as well as rights holders, nourishes networking and exchange of good practice and advocates for women’s rights and gender equality in all areas of life. Under the Sub-regional Strategic Plan for 2008-2011 UNIFEM CEE pays priority to issues such as women’s involvement in peace and security (implementation of the UNSC Resolution 1325 and UNSC Resolution 1820), elimination of all forms of violence against women, including domestic violence, engendering national and local budgets, Constitutions and other legal and policy frameworks.

UNIFEM CEE covers the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo (UN Administered Territory under UNSC Resolution 1244), Latvia, Lithuania, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Turkey Under its current programme, UNIFEM is specifically focused on support to countries of the Balkans.

For further details and information on the work of UNIFEM in the CEE region, please do not hesitate to contact us at pavla.maskova [at] unifem.org.

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