“We cannot fully empower women and girls without engaging men and boys”

8 March 2016 - International Women’s Day offers an opportunity to celebrate the progress made towards women’s empowerment and to reflect on further steps we can take to create a more gender-equal society that benefits everyone. This year’s theme, “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step it up for gender equality,” calls us to address the pressing barriers that can prevent women from reaching their full potential. Michael Kimmel, Executive Director of the Centre for the Study of Men and Masculinities, joined us at WHO headquarters for a conversation on the importance of gender equality to the organization and its staff

• Read the full story about Dr Kimmel's address

8 MARCH 2016 - International Women’s Day (March 8th) offers us an opportunity to celebrate the progress made towards women’s empowerment. Working towards gender equality is essential to uplift both men and women and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). WHO will feature prominently at the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) later this month, highlighting health matters that are essential to women’s engagement and flourishing in society. CSW offers WHO the opportunity to build relationships and share knowledge to further its mandate to create a more gender-equal society that leaves no one behind on the path to good health.

• Read the full commentary by Dr Veronica Magar

March 2016 -- The era of the Sustainable Development Goals has begun. After years of planning, the “post-2015 agenda” is no longer just over the horizon, it is here and now. Whatever their age, gender, ethnicity or lifestyle, or where they happen to live, everyone has the right to the highest standard of health and well-being. Our task as health professionals and policy-makers is to ensure that everyone, everywhere, is included. This report highlights the advances of the global GER team over the 2014-2015 biennium, setting the foundation for our work in equity, gender and human rights central to the 2030 agenda.

• Download the report

3 MARCH 2016 - “We need fairness. We need justice. And we need global solidarity.” WHO Director-General Margaret Chan addressed the 31st session of the Human Rights Council during a panel on climate change and health, underscoring the need for an agenda for action “that doubles as a results-based framework for accountability.” According to Dr Chan, a human rights-based approach that would put people’s health at the centre of the discussion on climate change “provides an entry point for holding countries accountable for their international obligations on climate change.”

• Read the full story about Dr Chan's keynote address to the 31st session of the Human Rights Council