The Women's Leadership Programme

“Women’s Leadership: Make Your Voice Heard” E-Workshop

UNITAR Women's leadership workshops are designed to equip women with the tools and knowledge needed to not only succeed, but excel in leadership roles. They foster an environment where self-confidence is nurtured, assertive communication is honed, and valuable mentorship relationships are forged. The skills acquired during these workshops are not merely theoretical; they are pragmatic, and ready to be applied in real-world scenarios.

This program is also a response to the pressing need to address and challenge gender stereotypes that persist worldwide. By providing a platform to deconstruct these stereotypes and learn how to engage with all stakeholders in promoting gender equality, this training empowers participants to be agents of change in their professional environments.The e-workshop aims to empower women to embrace their potential and develop the necessary skills for effective leadership. With a focus on enhancing communication skills, this workshop aims to build confidence and cultivate a positive public image to help participants overcome any self-doubt or societal expectations that may hold them back.

The online trainings are designed and targeted for professional women across all sectors, community leaders and activists, as well as anyone who is in leadership roles or aiming to be in leadership roles in the near-future.

The holistic and innovative training approach focuses on personal growth while providing a gender lens to better understand gender-specific obstacles in the workplace, marketplace, and community. It aims at a significant long-term impact at both the individual and organisational level through means of synchronous learning during the e-workshops and active networking.

For more information about future courses or are if you are interested in organising a customised training for your organisation, please reach out to Ms. Anouk Reilly (anouk.reilly@unitar.org).

Women’s Leadership: Make Your Voice Heard with Ms. Maria Edera Spadoni

“The Women’s Leadership Programme is driven by the fact that women’s equality and empowerment is good politics, good economics, good for social inclusion and an important way of ensuring peaceful and just societies.”

- Nikhil Seth, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNITAR Executive Director

Training and capacity building are essential to converting ambition and commitments into measurable and impactful change. Since 2015, UNITAR has been working with partners across the UN System, to support the achievement of gender parity targets and ensure women’s full and effective participation in decision-making processes.

With the adoption of UN Sustainable Development Goal 5 .5 on inclusive decision making, the Women’s Leadership Programme seeks to address the gender imbalance that exists at the highest levels, including in multilateral negotiations and decision-making, in public and private sectors.

In 2023, the Women’s Leadership Programme aims to deliver training and awareness-raising activities to many more women worldwide, to building skills, providing coaching and mentorship opportunities, and organizing high-level events to achieve transformational change in the empowerment of women in contexts critical to sustainable development processes.

The Programme’s Activities

women’s equality and empowerment is good politics, good economics, good for social inclusion

UN Photo

Since its launch in May 2015, the Programme has held Geneva workshops for female delegates to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Congress, the Radiocommunication Assembly/World Radiocommunication Conference, as well as an open workshop to women from Geneva’s International community and one in New York for the female delegates to the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

This year, UNITAR is further strengthening its efforts to provide support for women all over the world through a new 4-day e-workshop titled "Women's Leadership: Make Your Voice Heard". This training equips women with the tools and knowledge needed to not only succeed, but excel in leadership roles. It fosters an environment where self-confidence is nurtured, assertive communication is honed, and valuable mentorship relationships are forged. The skills acquired during these four days are not merely theoretical; they are pragmatic, and ready to be applied in real-world scenarios.

Since 2020, around 300 women enhanced their professional skills relating to leadership, public speaking, and mentoring by participating in UNITAR’s Women’s Leadership workshops. In groups of around 25, participants learned how to own their personal and cultural leadership style and maximize their unique strengths.

UNITAR’s Division for Multilateral Diplomacy were able to increase the number of female beneficiaries thanks to a generous contribution of the Government of India. In total, more than 150 women from 36 different countries were trained online on Gender, Women’s Leadership and Mentoring.

If you are interested in UNITAR’s ongoing activities or customized women’s leadership trainings, please reach out to Ms. Anouk Reilly (anouk.reilly@unitar.org) for detailed information.

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