On September 14th, 2009 the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a resolution to merge together fourUN Women’s entities into a more inclusive and stronger agency advocating for the “well-being of women worldwide and to work towards gender equality”.

The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (UNISTRAW) are the four agencies to be merged.

In a statement posted in a UN News Centre article, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that is was “an important step…in the area of gender quality and empowerment of women.”

In addition, international advocacy organization AIDS-Free world welcomed the new agency as a first step to gender equality while at the same time recognizing the need for action, as its co-Director, Paula Donovan, affirmed.

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UN to establish single new agency to deal with rights of women. UN News Centre. 15 September 2009.

AIDS-Free World Welcomes the New UN Women’s Agency AIDS-Free World. 15 September 2009.

U.N. assembly votes for more powerful women’s agency. Reuters. 14 September 2009.