The International Federation of Social Workers in Hong Kong at its General Meeting in June 2010 approved an updated Policy on the Women. IFSW is pleased that on 2 July 2010 The UN General Assembly voted to set up a body that will aim to improve the situation of women and girls around the world. The new body will be called officially as the U.N. Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, although officials say it will be referred to as U.N. Women (www.unwomen.org).
U.N. diplomats said four years of negotiations between Western developed nations and developing countries, many of them states where women are often discriminated against, had been tough because of varying views on women’s rights and gender equality.
However efforts have paid off and this step is significant in enhancing the UN’s effort to deal with discrimination. “U.N. Women will significantly boost U.N. efforts to promote gender equality, expand opportunity, and tackle discrimination around the globe,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement.
U.N. Women will become operational on January 1, 2011.