How to Turn the Tide: Resisting the Global Assault on Gender Rights

This year’s session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), the world’s leading forum for advancing gender equality, confronted unprecedented challenges. With Saudi Arabia in the chair and anti-rights voices growing increasingly influential in the forum, the struggle to hold onto international commitments on gender equality intensified dramatically. On 8 March, International Women’s Day mobilisations also took on added urgency, with demonstrations from Istanbul to Buenos Aires focusing on resisting the multiple manifestations of gender rights regression being felt in communities worldwide.

Young Women in Afghanistan Driven to Suicide Amid Widespread Frustration

Azar Shaimaa sits in grief, her voice trembling with sorrow as she recounts the devastating loss of her daughter, Benazir. A bright ninth-grade student, Benazir took her own life. Just three years earlier, Shaimaa lost her husband in a car accident.

The Toll of Mental Health in Conflict Areas

Over the past two decades, conversations surrounding mental wellness have entered the cultural consciousness in the western world. Despite this, these topics receive far less media exposure in the Global South, particularly in areas that have been entrenched in warfare, where the onset of harmful mental health conditions are prevalent.

Israel Ends Ceasefire in Gaza as Strikes Resume

On March 18, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, effectively terminating the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement. This comes after a pause in ceasefire operations when Israel continued its blockade on humanitarian aid in the enclave and demanded the release of additional hostages.

Our Investment in School Meals is Our Investment in Education

Millions of children worldwide are going hungry, and we all know that hungry children cannot learn. On International School Meals Day, we are calling on donors to significantly scale-up funding for school feeding to ensure every child can go to school, every child can access at least one nutritious meal a day, and every child can concentrate, develop and achieve.

Women and Girls in Afghanistan Bear the Brunt of the Country’s Crisis

Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan nearly four years ago, human rights have begun diminishing for over 14 million women. Heightened gender inequality has exacerbated the pre-existing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which has been marked by conflict, displacement, climate change, food insecurity, and economic instability. In 2025, widespread cuts in humanitarian funding look to further strain the crisis.

Surges in Violence in Haiti Push Basic Services to the Brink of Collapse

In 2025, the humanitarian crisis in Haiti has grown increasingly dire amid the ongoing gang wars. With rates of displacement, child recruitment, food insecurity, physical violence, and sexual violence having skyrocketed in the past year alone, the national police have found it difficult to keep gang activity under control.

Bangladesh Economy: Turning Demographic Challenges into Opportunities

Speaking at the recent annual conference of the Bangladesh Administrative Service Association, Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus has emphasised the need to create opportunities for young people, asserting that Bangladesh’s large population is not a burden but a valuable resource.

Tensions Between Israel and Hamas Threaten Second Phase of Gaza Ceasefire

On March 1, the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to end. However, as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and Hamas declining to release more hostages until the second phase goes into effect, the long-term feasibility of the ceasefire agreement is uncertain. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent inflammatory comments surrounding the conflict between the two parties might put further strain on the already fragile ceasefire agreement.

‘Rule Breakers’ Movie Launches in Advance of International Women’s Day Highlighting the Courage and Hope of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team

Angel Studios’ new feature film 'Rule Breakers' – launching in theaters across the United States, Canada, South Africa and Sri Lanka today – highlights the hope, courage and resilience of the Afghan Girls Robotics Team.

International Women’s Day, 2025
Rule Breakers: The Compelling True Story of Afghan Girls Who Risked All to Learn

Like the Afghan robotics team, Education Cannot Wait (ECW), the global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises in the United Nations, is breaking the 'rules' and continuing to educate young women in that country despite an edict from the Taliban denying girls a secondary school education.

Education Cannot Wait Interviews Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia

 
Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov was appointed as the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia by the UN Secretary-General António Guterres in August 2023.

International Women’s Day 2025: For All Women and Girls

 
In 2025, our world remains deeply unequal. Women earn, on average, 20% less than men globally.

CARICOM Leaders Take Steps to Tackle Crime, Climate, Trade and Food Crises

CARICOM leaders wrapped up a crucial meeting on February 21, reaffirming their commitment to tackling pressing regional challenges with unity and resolve. From crime and security to education, trade and climate change, the leaders highlighted the need for decisive action amid global uncertainties.

World Day of Social Justice Statement by Education Cannot Wait Director Yasmine Sherif

The central theme of this year’s World Day of Social Justice is to “strengthen a just transition for a sustainable future.” Education is the very foundation for achieving social justice. Without an education we cannot end extreme poverty and advance economic growth. Without an education we cannot empower young girls to become teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, engineers, let alone financially self-reliant. Without an education we cannot achieve good governance, the rule of law and peaceful co-existence.

Social Media in the Global South Needs More Protections

In the western world, numerous studies over the past two decades have shown that the rise of social media in popularity has been linked to negative mental health symptoms, especially among young people. Platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and TikTok have been criticized for fostering competitive and toxic environments, which contribute to higher rates of anxiety, cyber-bullying, depression, disordered eating, and low self-esteem. While the use of social media in the Global South has skyrocketed in the late 2010s, the ramifications on people in those regions has received much less coverage in mainstream media.

Human Rights, Healthcare Disrupted in Eastern Europe With USAID Funding Freeze

As the full effects of the US decision to freeze foreign aid funding begin to be felt across the world, organizations in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA) are warning years of work in everything from delivering life-saving healthcare to defending human rights and strengthening democracy could be undone.

Sexual Violence and Displacement: Disproportionate Threats to Children in Haiti

As ongoing gang violence and unrest bring down the living conditions in Haiti, humanitarian groups sound the alarm on human rights violations and the increasing challenges they dace in providing relief efforts.

Gender Inequality in Science Limits Progress Towards Solving Complex Global Challenges

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and a time to take stock of progress, successes, and setbacks towards open and gender-inclusive science. Gender equality remains elusive in science, as only one in three scientists is a woman. Not only do these inequalities hold women back, but they also limit scientific progress.

Not an Option. A Call for Action

A global alert is not an option. It requires global action. Over the past three years, the number of crisis-impacted school-aged children in need of urgent quality education support has grown by an alarming 35 million, according to Education Cannot Wait’s new Global Estimates Report.

Online Education: A Lifeline for Afghan Girls Amid Taliban Restrictions

Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, girls and women have been systematically banned from education, making Afghanistan the only country in the world that denies schooling to girls over the age of 12. The situation continues to deteriorate, with even primary school enrollment for girls in decline, according to UNESCO.