United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), organization that offers financial and technical support to programs that are designed to encourage the advancement and empowerment of women and gender equality. The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) was established in 1976 in conjunction with the United Nations Decade for Women (1976–85).
UNIFEM concentrates its financial and technical assistance in three key areas: reducing women’s poverty, ending violence against women (including reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls), and promoting gender equality in democratic governance in times of war and peace. The organization reaches out to women worldwide via a network of regional offices and national committees. It also provides publications, including an annual report that documents the programs and activities implemented to encourage women’s empowerment and gender equality and a report providing data on programs implemented to reduce violence against women.