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Women reach highest levels of decision-making
In 2021, 8 countries have elected or sworn in their first woman Head of State or Government, with Barbados, Estonia and Moldova having women as President and Prime Minister for at least part of the year.
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Marriage equality advances around the world
Switzerland announced that same-sex couples would be able to marry, and Chile’s Congress passed a law to legalize same-sex marriage. 2021 also saw promising moves to decriminalise same-sex partnerships.
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The most gender-equal Olympics
With a year of delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics kicked off on 23 July 2021 with almost 49 per cent of participating athletes being women, making it the most gender-balanced Games in history.
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Women film directors finally get more recognition
Chloé Zhao made history this year at the Oscars, when she became the first woman of colour and the first woman of Asian descent to earn best director at the Academy Awards. She is only the second woman to ever win the award.
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First woman and first African to lead the World Trade Organization
In March, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala took office as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, making her both the first woman and the first African to hold this position in the organization’s 26-year history.
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Lebanon makes progress towards ending child marriage
The Higher Islamic Council in Lebanon approved a Family Law amendment, which bans the marriage of children under 15 and stipulates that girls must give their consent to marry, or else the marriage can be annulled.
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Generation Equality Forum sets course to accelerate action
Kicking off in March in Mexico, and concluding at the Paris Forum in July, the Generation Equality Forum brought together government, civil society, philanthropy, private sector and youth activists and launched a five-year action journey to drive progress towards gender equality.
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Women continue leading COVID-19 research and response
Nearly two years since COVID-19 was declared to be a pandemic, every corner of the world has felt the devastating impacts of the virus. As health and care workers, women and girls have remained on the front lines of response, but they have also been leaders in research and innovation.
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Click here for 8 more defining moments from 2021.
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 Wishing you all the best in the new year!
Download the 2022 UN Women e-calendar:
English | Español | Français
Set-up instructions: Outlook | Google | Yahoo
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