As India emerges from the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, amidst speculations about a third wave coming, UN Women spotlights women on the front lines of the pandemic response in the capital, Delhi, on World Humanitarian Day (19 August).

This photo essay is an adaptation of an exhibit at the United Nations Headquarters, running from 6 March – 20 April. It presents key milestones in the women’s rights movement, the progress and pushback, and voices and aspirations of women leaders from every corner of the world.

The women enrolled in the UN Women’s Oasis programme in the Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps share their stories of escape from conflict and their journeys to becoming the empowered women they are today.

This photo essay provides a snapshot from UN Women’ latest flagship report, Progress of the World’s Women 2019-2020: Families in a Changing World, and UN Women programmes around the world.

Join us for a journey into the Far North Region of Cameroon to meet five women who have traversed immense tragedies and emerged as resilient leaders, survivors and entrepreneurs.

Christine Banlog has been a market woman for 22 years. She is now 64, widowed, and raising her three grandchildren in Nyalla, Cameroon.

The 36-year-long armed conflict between the military and guerrilla groups killed or disappeared at least 200,000 people, mostly indigenous. Many of the dead have not been identified yet, and the majority of the disappeared have not been found. Thousands of families in Guatemala have not found closure. Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez, a human rights activist and co-founder of a widows association in the municipality of Comalapa, has spearheaded the construction of a memorial for victims of the conflict in Comalapa. It’s called the “Center for the Historical Memory of Women”.

Since 2014, UN Women’s Markets for Change project has been boosting leadership and financial skills of women vendors in 17 markets to make them safe, inclusive and sustainable. For the first time, women’s voices are shaping market infrastructure and climate adaptation.

A bus to get to work. A clinic for health care. A monthly pension for old age. Some people can take these for granted. But many others suffer from the lack of infrastructure, public services and social protection that affect their rights and well-being. Women and girls are often foremost among those who miss out.

From the internet to the bicycle, here are just a handful of innovations we take for granted today that have shaped the lives of women and girls worldwide.

For Cielo Gomez, every day is work day, starting with coffee 5:30 am. A mother of three, a wife, and now a coffee grower with her own land, it’s a labour of love.

Rohingya women in Bangladeshi refugee camps share stories of loss and hopes of recovery

UN Women and Cartooning for Peace, a non-profit international network of 162 editorial cartoonists from 59 different countries, have joined forces in a collaboration for International Women’s Day and the 62nd session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62).

The world has committed to upholding the rights of all women and girls. Fulfilling this commitment is particularly urgent in rural areas. Rural women and their organizations are on the move to claim their rights and improve their livelihoods and well-being.

Climate change affects everyone, but it’s the world’s most vulnerable who bear the brunt of environmental, economic and social shocks.

Armed conflicts. Earthquakes and storms. Deadly disease outbreaks. Such crises destroy human lives and communities with striking regularity. Each year, they hit dozens of countries in every region of the world, sometimes with no warning at all. Women and girls are among those most vulnerable to the consequences — and most vital to recovering from them.

The health of our oceans is declining. This threatens the lives, livelihood and food security of billions of people. For island communities and those living around oceans and seas, the risk are even greater. Recently, UN Women visited the island nation of Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean Rim region, where ocean-based tourism is the backbone of the economy and men and women rely on the ocean for sustainable living. Women are also leading marine conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in Seychelles. This photo essay provides a glimpse into their efforts and impact.

The world of work is changing fast, through innovation, increasing mobility and informality. But it needs to change faster to empower women, whose work has already driven many of the global gains in recent decades.

Rural Liberian women are promoting renewable solar energy that reduces dependency on expensive and polluting fossil fuels, like kerosene.

In Cambodia, 70 per cent of women are engaged in vulnerable employment; more than 500,000 work in garment and footwear factories. Empowering women to exercise their rights to decent work, UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system) is working closely with partners to ensure discrimination-free work environments in Cambodian factories.