United Nations Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin: Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the Right Leader for UN Women

Today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka as the new head of UN Women, the United Nations agency tasked with advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment. In response, United Nations Foundation President and CEO Kathy Calvin issued the following statement:

“We congratulate Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on her new role as the head of UN Women, an agency that works every day to empower women and girls, which is essential to achieving a stronger, safer and more equitable world for us all.

“Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka has proven to be a groundbreaker and a formidable champion for women and girls. In addition to being the first female Deputy President of South Africa, she brings decades of leadership and advocacy experience on behalf of women and girls to UN Women. As Deputy President, she demonstrated courageous leadership in shifting the country’s AIDS policies to expand treatment, testing and prevention programs.

“She is also a member of the Aspen Institute’s Global Leaders Council, a group of sitting and former heads of state and high-level policymakers who are committed to advancing reproductive rights by raising awareness of the critical role that access to reproductive health and family planning plays in global development.

“Since UN Women was established in 2010, the UN Foundation has worked closely with the agency to promote our shared goal of women’s equality and empowerment. Now, as we look ahead to the post-2015 framework, it is more important than ever that we ensure women and girls are elevated on the global stage. I am confident that with a strong leader like Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women will continue its critical work to advance the needs and rights of women and girls globally. We look forward to working together with her to build a world where every woman and girl is safe, healthy and empowered.”

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About The United Nations Foundation

The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.