Interview with Ambassador Mervat Tallawy from Egypt on attending the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995 and how the Beijing Platform for Action remains relevant today.

Suzanne Magdy, a 42-year-old wife and mother of two children: Mohamed (16 years old) and Yousef (13 years old) from Cairo governorate. Suzanne joined her son Mohamed in one of the balanced parentings between motherhood and fatherhood camps organized by UN Women Egypt in partnership with the National Council for Women, and in collaboration with the Institute for European Cooperation and Development (IECD) and Alb Kebeer (Big Heart) Non-Government Organization (NGO) during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

On 8 March 2025, join us to celebrate International Women’s Day under the theme, “For ALL women and girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.” This year’s theme calls for action that can unlock equal rights, power and opportunities for all and a feminist future where no one is left behind. Central to this vision is empowering the next generation—youth, particularly young women and adolescent girls—as catalysts for lasting change.

The Ministry of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation together with the National Council for Women and in partnership with UN Women and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) organized a closing ceremony on December 11th, marking the conclusion of “Enhancing Gender Equality and Empowering Women and Girls in Egypt” programme, implemented with the generous support of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). . The closing ceremony brought together Counselor Amal Ammar, President of the National Council for Women; H.E. Younghyon Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Egypt; Ms. Marwa Alameldeen, UN Women Country Representative a.i.; Ms. Germaine Haddad, UNFPA Assistant Representative, with a recorded message from H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation.

Nancy Mohamed, an internal lawyer at the Women's Complaints Office (WCO) for 8 years, graduated from the Faculty of Law, Ain Shams University in 2012. She is currently pursuing her postgraduate studies at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, as she is doing her master’s in litigation procedures, in addition to obtaining a diploma in ‘Shariaa’ (Islamic law). Since her childhood, Nancy has been interested in women's rights issues and has always been concerned about the challenges women and girls face in her society.

In light of the Canadian delegation’s visit to Beheira Governorate yesterday, Dr. Jacqueline Azer, Governor of Beheira, accompanied Canada’s Ambassador-Designate to Egypt H.E. Mr. Ulric Shannon, and a delegation from the Global Affairs Canada and United Nations organizations to Misr Public Library in Damnhour to meet a number of participants of “Rabeha” joint programme. This visit aimed at strengthening the partnership and international cooperation supporting Egyptian women, by presenting successful stories related to entrepreneurship and economic empowerment, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Egypt's Vision 2030.

UN Women, the National Council for Women (NCW), UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Egypt, and the Government of Japan, represented by the Embassy of Japan in Egypt, launched the new phase of the “Humanitarian Response with Sustainable Impact: Sustainable Livelihoods and Social Cohesion” programme in Egypt. The programme, is part of a regional initiative aimed at providing sustainable solutions to refugee, displaced, and host community women in Egypt, Iraq, and Syria.

On the occasion of the International Peace Day, usually marked on September 21st of each year, and within the context of promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16―Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions - the National Council for Women, in partnership with UN Women Egypt and the Spanish government represented by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation, organized the "Women’s Sports for Peace" event to highlight the pivotal role of women in promoting international peace.

Though Marwa’s beauty salon didn't survive its first year due to a combination of challenges, including lack of experience and financial strain, she remained passionate about the beauty industry. And fueled by her unrelenting spirit, Marwa decided to get back up and try again. This time, armed with the skills and knowledge gained from the beauty care training offered by UN Women.

After graduating from the Institute of Computer Science, Heba Hussein’s love for all things digital was put on the back burner as she was swept away with the responsibilities of marriage and childcare. However, she did not give up on her passion for exploring technology. Now, at 40, she's pursuing her passion by joining the training on mobile repair offered by UN Women and embarking on an exciting new chapter in her life.

After years of working in the news broadcasting field, Reem Samir realized that she needed a better work-life balance to be able to raise her twin boys. This goal motivated her to join UN Women’s copywriting training, shortly after which she began a career as a freelance copywriter.

Youstina Michele, a 29-year-old media creator, has been working in media for six years with the aim of providing a voice for women and raising awareness through content creation. She has worked as a TV and radio presenter on local channels, a social media content creator, and a writer in local newspapers. She’s now expanding her portfolio to include movies, following UN Women’s scriptwriting training.

From a young girl with ponytails selling snacks and candy in her school playground, to a major wholesaler of clothing and linens, has always been a true trader at heart. With the support of Rabeha Joint Programme , Shrouk, 31, is now working on developing her own application, Yalla Jomla, to reach more customers and level up her business.

Dina El-Orabi is not your ordinary baker; she is an artist who kneads love into every bite. Her joy comes from feeding others with her mouthwatering creations, from flaky pastries to cakes. To turn her passion into business, Dina decided to launch Deelia’s Kitchen. With the support of Rabeha Joint Programme, she managed to set a strong foundation for her startup and begin her flavorful and delicious journey of success.

Suzanne Gamal, a 46-year-old mother, would do whatever it takes to provide the best for her children. When her eldest son's summer vacation approached, Suzanne was keen on finding top quality summer camps where he could develop and grow. However, she was disappointed as she did not find what she was looking for. That’s when she decided to launch her own camp, and Makan was born. To overcome the challenges she was facing along the way to manage her business, Suzanne decided to join Rabeha Joint Programme, which aims to enhance women’s economic empowerment by providing capacity building, development support and financial aid to women entrepreneurs, jobseekers, private sector companies and investors.

The Government of Egypt-the Ministry of International Cooperation and the National Council for Women- and the European Union launched the Women’s Empowerment Programme “Tamkeen” in partnership with the governments of Italy and Spain, together with the United Nations in Egypt, namely UN Women, UNFPA, and UNICEF.

After graduating with a law degree, 32-year-old Engy Samir worked in the field for a year before realizing it wasn’t what she was passionate about. During a self-discovery break, she reconnected with her love for writing and decided to pursue it through self-learning, searching for trainings and courses that would equip her with the adequate skills. That’s when she decided to enroll in a scriptwriting training offered by UN Women.

Dr. Maya Morsy, President of the National Council for Women (NCW), met with Ambassador Eric Chevallier, French Ambassador to Egypt, and Ms. Christine Arab, UN Women Egypt Country Representative in light of a new partnership with the French government and UN Women Egypt to support national efforts to establish the “Assembled Unit for the Protection of Women Against Violence”. Through this partnership, the Egyptian government will enhance the unit’s accessibility for women and girls with disabilities, who have been subjected to violence.

After graduating with an engineering degree, Eva Garas discovered her love for film directing and decided to switch careers. However, she found it difficult to secure practical experience on sets. Once she heard about UN Women’s film-directing training, she applied immediately.

UN Women Egypt engages with the private sector in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE), particularly in the workplace. The main tool used for private sector’s engagement is the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact. The WEPs are a set of seven principles that offer guidance to business on how to advance gender equality in the workplace, marketplace, and community.