Located in a number of governorates across Egypt, the women's shelters have played an essential role in empowering women survivors of violence. As one of the services provided by the Ministry of Social Solidarity (MoSS), the nine women’s shelters available, across Egypt, aim to provide a safe and secure accommodation for women survivors of violence and their dependents, in addition to ensuring that these women are given the support to cope with the trauma and move forward through an array of services ranging from psychosocial support and family counselling to medical, legal, and livelihood opportunities. Since 2015, more than 9,000 women and children have benefited from the services that these shelters provide.

Cairo, 29 November 2021- Leaders and partners joined an event last evening organized by the National Council for Women in partnership with UN Women Egypt, the European Union Delegation to Egypt and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands in Egypt, to commemorate the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence under the global theme “ Orange the World: End Violence against Women Now!”. The event took place with the backdrop of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization lit...

Cairo, 25 November 2021- The National Council for Women (NCW), in partnership with UN Women Egypt, have launched a new phase of the “Because I am a Man” campaign on social media. The new phase of the campaign sheds light on the essential role men must play in supporting women in the private and public spheres. The campaign kicked off on Sunday, 21 November 2021, with interactive questions posted on social media platforms to initiate dialogue with the various online followers on...

Amena El-Saie, 31, is the co-founder and CEO of “Helm”, which is a social enterprise that aims to act as a catalyst in ensuring effective and sustainable inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in the workplace. Helm is one of the key partners of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) Executive Education Programme of the American University in Cairo (AUC), which is responsible for delivering employability skills and job placement services under the framework of the UN Women-UNIDO Joint Programme “Women’s Economic Empowerment for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Egypt” - "Rabeha” that is implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), and the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (MSMEDA), with the generous support of Global Affairs, Canada (GAC).

Ms. Sima Bahous, of Jordan, took the oath of office as the Executive Director of UN Women during a ceremony today in New York presided over by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. The appointment by the UN Secretary-General was announced on 13 September 2021, following consultations with Member States and the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

Cairo, 3 October 2021 - The National Council for Women (NCW) and UN Women Egypt launched a new phase of family camps over the weekend in collaboration with WellSpring Egypt on “Gender Transformative Parenting”. The camps will take place in several governorates including Cairo, Alexandria, Damietta and Minya over the coming weeks under the framework of "Men and Women for Gender Equality" programme implemented through the generous support of the Swedish International Development...

The Closing Conference of the “Safe Cities Free from Violence Against Women and Girls: Ending Violence Against Women Survivor-Centered Approach” Programme

Howaida Abbas Ahmed, 41 years old from the city of Al-Bayadiyah in Luxor. Mrs. Abbas is married and has 4 children, a daughter and three boys. Her husband works in the tourism field in Hurghada. Abbas is one of the beneficiaries of the national Women’s Citizenship Initiative "Your ID, Your Rights". The National Women’s Citizenship Initiative "Your ID, You Rights" of the National Council for Women has been underway since 2011 and is in part supported by UN Women through the generous support of the Government of the United Kingdom. The Women’s Citizenship Initiative seeks to support women’s access to national ID cards and raise their awareness about the services available so that they can perform their social, economic, and political role in society.

Souad Magdy, is a 23-year-old beneficiary of the national Women’s Citizenship Initiative "Your ID, You Rights" from Mansoura, Dakahlia Governorate. With a diploma in home trade, and with the passing of her father, Souad is proud of her roll in the family as one of the main breadwinners, with her husband, mother, brother, and sisters. The National Women’s Citizenship Initiative "Your ID, You Rights" of the National Council for Women has been underway since 2011 and is in part supported by UN Women through the generous support of the Government of the United Kingdom. The Women’s Citizenship Initiative seeks to support women’s access to national ID cards and raise their awareness about the services available so that they can perform their social, economic, and political role in society.

UN Women Deputy Executive Director Anita Bhatia highlighted the important role innovative financing for gender equality and women’s empowerment plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda at Egypt’s global International Cooperation Forum. The event held 8th-9th September in Cairo brings together a mix of national and international high-level policymakers, multilateral and bilateral development partners, private sector, and think tanks.

The National Council for Women (NCW) and UN Women Egypt organized a training of trainers (TOT) workshop on the topic of “Gender Transformative Parenting” in cooperation and WellSpring Egypt Foundation during the period from 23-27 August, within the framework of the programme on "Men and Women for Gender Equality" implemented by NCW and UN Women Egypt with the generous support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).

Heba Elrify is the Corporate Credit Director in Sarwa Capital Investments Holding and one of the 55 women executives who graduated from the Corporate Directors Certification Program (CDCP) that was delivered by the School of Business of the American University in Cairo (AUC) within the framework of the joint UN Women- ILO regional programme “Promoting Productive Employment and Decent Work for Women in Egypt, Jordan and Palestine”, which is implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women (NCW) and the Ministry of Manpower and is generously supported by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida).

Mona Abdallah is a 35-year-old community leader who works in the media field and is passionate about serving her community in Ezbet El-Borg village in Damietta Governorate. Abdallah is one of 13 female participants who attended the “Designing Marketing Plans" training workshop that took place in Ras El-Bar city in September 2020. The workshop, organized under UN Women’s Safe City and Safe Public Spaces programme in Damietta, focused on equipping the participating women with the required knowledge to set marketing plans for various products they develop such as confectionery, crochet, food products and wooden decorations. The programme is implemented in partnership with the National Council for Women and in collaboration with local civil society organizations, with the generous support of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Walaa Selim and her business partner Randa El-Fiki are two entrepreneurs in their early forties, from Ezbet ElBorg City in Damietta Governorate. They were among the 13 participants of the training programme entitled “Designing Marketing Plans” which was organized by UN Women Egypt in Ras Elbur City, Damietta Governorate. The training was composed of a series of workshops delivered over the period from September 1st until September 24th, 2020. The training targeted small-scale entrepreneurs from Ezbet ElBorg City and aimed at equipping them with the required knowledge to set marketing and business plans for their various products.

Samar Ali is a 32-year-old entrepreneur in Ezbet El-Borg village in Damietta Governorate. Ali is one of 13 women beneficiaries who received the “Designing Marketing Plans” training workshop that was organized in Ras El-Bar city. The training was composed of a series of 7 workshops delivered between September 1st and September 24th, 2020.

Mona Ezzat is an experienced development practitioner, a researcher, and an expert in the field of women’s economic rights. Ezzat was the facilitator of the training programme entitled “Designing Marketing Plans” which was organized by UN Women Egypt within the framework of the Safe City and Safe Public Spaces programme in Damietta. The training programme “Designing Marketing Plans” was composed of a series of 7 workshops delivered between September 1 st to...

Press Release: UN Women Egypt commends the approval of the amendment to the Penal Code to impose harsher punishments for sexual harassment Cairo, 14 July 2021- UN Women Egypt commends the approval of the Egyptian parliament in advancing more legal rights for Egyptian women through the amendment to the Penal Code which make sexual harassment now a felony. The new amendment to the Penal Code increases the penalty for sexual harassment to a minimum of two years imprisonment instead of six months...

The Ministry of International Cooperation (MOIC) hosted today the signing ceremony of the Korea International Cooperation Agency’s (KOICA) 2021-2024 Multilateral Cooperation Program for Gender Equality in Egypt, to be implemented in collaboration with UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and in partnership with the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the National Council for Women.

Damietta, 13 June 2021 – A women-friendly space was opened yesterday in Ezbet El Borg city in Damietta with the aim of creating a decent space for women and girls in the community. The space was designed and developed using a participatory and gender-responsive approach to empower women and girls through providing opportunities for economic empowerment while encouraging women’s leadership and participation in public life.

Marwa Saber is a practical electricity teacher at Electro Misr Applied Technology School in Cairo, a wife, and a mother of two girls. Saber is one of the 40 staff who benefited from the Information Technology (IT) training that was delivered to the teachers and administrative staff of 3 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) schools in Cairo and Alexandria over the period from 30 August until 30 September 2020 through the “TVET for Girls initiative”. We spoke to Saber to learn about her reflections on her career and how the training contributed to enhancing her skills and her capacities.