In the arid vastness of the Guajira peninsula in northwestern Venezuela lies Paraguaipoa. This is the land of the Wayúu people, one of the country’s 44 indigenous groups that enrich the cultural diversity and heritage of Venezuela. The Wayúu are the largest indigenous group in the nation, known for producing colorful, high-quality textiles that are part of an ancestral women-led practice that connects them with their roots and builds strong community bonds.
The Deputy Secretary-General addressed the International Conference on Women, Peace, and Security in Manila, emphasizing the critical role of women in achieving peace. She highlighted the disproportionate impact of conflicts on women and girls and called for increased women's participation in peace processes and decision-making.
On a sunlit afternoon at the Resistance Museum in Timor-Leste, a quiet but powerful reunion took place. Several remarkable women, veterans of the Timorese resistance, began to trickle into the exhibition hall. As they entered, their eyes were drawn to the canvases on the walls. There, captured in striking portraits, were their own faces, reminders of the courage they displayed decades ago.
In Viet Nam, women entrepreneurs and farmers are dealing with the first hand impacts of climate change. A joint UN programme is helping them access finance and technology to cope better with disasters and safeguard their livelihoods.
Zambia has embarked on a transformative journey towards a digital future, making significant strides in recent years. The United Nations Country Team in Zambia, led by Resident Coordinator Beatrice Mutali, is helping embrace digital technologies can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals by driving efficiency, inclusivity, and innovation.
Las Sabinas, a community-run collective in Mexico, contend with a judicial system that too often re-victimizes survivors of sexual violence. From lawyers who are ill-equipped to understand gender-based violence to the shortage of female medical personnel available to perform gynecological exams for rape kits, women survivors are often forced to relive traumatic experiences in the process of obtaining a sentence. For Las Sabinas, it is important to rethink justice in a way that prioritizes the healing of survivors.