Women and Women's Rights

Sima Sami Bahous discusses women’s rights in areas of acute crisis and how UN Women is supporting gender equality and the empowerment of women around the world. The Sorensen Distinguished Lecture on the United Nations was established in 1996 by Gillian and Theodore C. Sorensen to highlight the United Nations and offer a special occasion for its most distinguished and experienced leaders to speak to the Council membership.

Join our panelists for a discussion of the recently released Netflix documentary film In Her Hands and the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan.  Filmed across two turbulent years, In Her Hands tells the story of Zarifa Ghafari, who at twenty six became one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors and the youngest to ever hold the position. The film documents her fight for survival against the backdrop of her country’s accelerated unraveling. As Western forces announce their retreat and the Taliban start their sweep back to power, Zarifa and women across the country face a new reality. Amid these tectonic changes, Zarifa must make the most difficult decision of her life. In Her Hands premiered on Netflix on November 16. In Her Hands was directed by Tamana Ayazi and Marcel Mettelsiefen.  

With its judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the constitutional right to abortion. Striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision provides state governments with newfound power to enact and enforce laws that curtail abortion access. The consequences of the ruling will reverberate beyond access to abortion to affect women’s equality, bodily autonomy, healthcare, democracy, criminal justice, and U.S. credibility to influence the protection of international human rights. Our speakers—Reem Alsalem, UN special rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, and Julie C. Suk, professor of law at Fordham University School of Law—discuss what the ruling means for democracy and human rights in the United States and its implications beyond U.S. borders.