Top government partners
UN Women received most funds, more than half in 2018, from its top 10 government partners. These long-term partnerships are particularly valuable, as predictable and continuous support helps UN Women to grow and plan strategically. In partnership with governments around the world, UN Women delivers for women and girls, and seeks equality for all.
Here are the top government partners for UN Women:
Sweden has long been a strong supporter of gender equality initiatives in the United Nations and is the first country to adopt a feminist foreign policy. The Government of Sweden is the largest financial supporter of UN Women and an important strategic partner. In 2018, Sweden was the largest contributor to UN Women’s regular resources with USD 19.9 million and the largest contributor in total resources with USD 54.92 million. The partnership was further strengthened with the signing of a multi-year funding agreement in June 2018, whereby Sweden committed SEK 500 million (approximately USD 62 million) in core resources to UN Women. Read more ►
The United Kingdom (UK) is consistently among the top five donors and provides a significant part of the core base that UN Women needs to undertake the fundamental work of its mandate. In 2018, the UK was the second-largest total contributor to UN Women with USD 28.4 million and the third-largest regular resources contributor with USD 15.9 million. In 2016, the UK and UN Women established a Framework Agreement to support specific programmes that align with the UK’s development priorities. This financial and political support enables UN Women to bring transformative changes in the lives and livelihoods of women, their families and communities. Read more ►
The Government of Norway prioritizes the rights of women and girls in national and development policies and is a strong supporter of UN Women. In 2018, Norway was the fifth-largest regular resources contributor with USD 10.8 million and the third-largest total government contributor with USD 25.4 million. Apart from the financial support to the organization, the Government of Norway is a strategic political ally for enhanced coordination of gender equality in the UN system, with other Member States for more streamlined support to intergovernmental processes and to regional and national processes, impacting women and their communities. Read more ►
The Government of Japan emphasizes women’s economic empowerment and workplace participation as a tenet of Japan’s ongoing economic policy reform and as a strategic priority of Japan’s development cooperation. Since 2014, Japan has steadily increased its contributions to UN Women, and in 2018, Japan was the ninth-largest regular resources contributor with USD 5.5 million and the fourth-largest total government contributor with USD 24.4 million. Japan and UN Women’s priorities align in several areas: ending sexual violence in conflict, the promotion of a gender-responsive infrastructure, and girls’ education and women’s leadership, especially in disaster risk reduction. Read more ►
As a longstanding champion of gender equality, Finland was a key advocate among Member States for the establishment of UN Women and remains a key partner. In 2018, Finland was the fourth-largest regular resources contributor with USD 12.1 million and sixth-largest total government contributor with USD 17.4 million. Finland’s cooperation with UN Women has grown increasingly stronger, and UN Women’s mandate and work correspond closely with the priorities of the Finnish Development Policy, which includes particular emphasis on the rights of women and girls. Read more ►
UN Women and the European Union (EU) have been collaborating to empower and protect the rights of women and girls since UN Women was established. Following the signing of a partnership agreement in 2012, the cooperation has deepened at all levels. From 2012 to 2018, EU contribution agreements (including contributions channeled through other agencies) amounted to more than USD 244.5 million (EUR 216.8 million). UN Women is one of the core agencies of the Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year initiative by the EU and the United Nations, focused on eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls. Read more ►
