Unifem
UNIFEM is the womens fund at the United Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies that promote womens human rights, political participation and economic security. Since 1976 it has supported womens empowerment and gender equality through its programme offices and links with womens organizations in the major regions of the world. Its work on gender responsive budgets began in 1996 in Southern Africa and has expanded to include Eastern Africa, South East Asia, South Asia, Central America and the Andean region. It has worked to increase awareness throughout the UN system of gender responsive budgets as a tool to strengthen economic governance in all countries.