UN Women

UN Women (formally the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) was created by General Assembly resolution 64/289 on 2 July 2010 and became operational on 1 January 2011. It merged four previously separate parts of the UN system: the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI), and the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).

The entity is headquartered in New York and led by an Under-Secretary-General who serves as Executive Director. Its first head was Michelle Bachelet of Chile (2010–2013), followed by Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa (2013–2021) and Sima Sami Bahous of Jordan (from 2021). UN Women reports to the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and its own 41-member Executive Board.

Its mandate has three pillars: (1) supporting intergovernmental bodies such as the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in formulating norms and standards; (2) helping member states implement those standards through technical and financial assistance; and (3) leading and coordinating the UN system's work on gender equality. Key normative frameworks it advances include the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW, 1979), and Sustainable Development Goal 5.

For Model UN purposes, UN Women is typically simulated as a subsidiary body reporting to ECOSOC. Common agenda items include women, peace and security (linked to Security Council resolution 1325 of 2000), economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and gender-responsive humanitarian action. Delegates should note that UN Women is funded primarily through voluntary contributions, which constrains its operational reach compared with larger UN agencies.