United Nations Development Funds for Women (UNIFEM)

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) sees itself as an advocate for women's rights. It was decided to found the Fund at the First World Conference on Women held in Mexico City in 1975. The Fund was then established in 1976 and initially named the "Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade for Women".

The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) sees itself as an advocate for women’s rights.

It was decided to found the Fund at the First World Conference on Women held in Mexico City in 1975. The Fund was then established in 1976 and initially named the "Voluntary Fund for the UN Decade for Women". Since 2000, UNIFEM has had the status of an implementing organisation for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

UNIFEM works to achieve equal rights for women. The development fund provides financial support and advisory services for women’s projects and women’s organisations. The aim of UNIFEM is to involve women in the planning and decision-making processes of development policy. Within the United Nations UNIFEM plays the part of a catalyst and coordination unit for gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women. Other international organisations too, including the World Bank and the EU, call on the organisation’s expertise when implementing programmes of their own.

UNIFEM is financed from voluntary contributions which, for the most part, come from governments and donations. Within the German government it is the BMZ that has lead responsibility for cooperation with UNIFEMIn 2008, Germany contributed 2.54 million US dollars to UNIFEM. The BMZ cooperates with the German National Committee for UNIFEM.