Welcome Greater LA Chapter!

USNC-UN Women is pleased to welcome its newest chapter, the Greater LA chapter!  Co-founders Cathy Hillman and Megan Henry are “honored and thrilled to be joining the U.S. National Committee for UN Women.”  With the creation of new chapter, Cathy and Megan “endeavor to build an inclusive, community-based awareness effort to ensure that UN Women becomes a household name in the Greater Los Angeles region. [They] also look forward to developing partnerships with private and public sectors, non-for-profit organizations and concerned individuals to advocate for and support the rights of women and girls, globally and locally.”

Now with three chapters on the West Coast and several chapters in the East, USNC-UN Women is expanding its outreach within the US on behalf of UN Women and its programs.  New chapters are forming in Detroit, Philadelphia, Denver, Miami, and other areas around the country.  To join these efforts or start a chapter in your own area, contact USNC-UN Women today!

 

Michelle Bachelet with Lebanese Deputy Bahyia Hariri in Beirut (January 15-16, 2012)
UN Women/Nabil Ismail

Michelle Bachelet Outlines Action Agenda to Advance Equality
on the One Year Anniversary of UN Women

To coincide with the one year anniversary of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, the first Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the organization spoke at a press conference on Thursday, February 2, at 11:00am EDT at the UN Headquarters in New York. 

“My top priority for 2012 will be to make a renewed push for women’s economic empowerment and political participation. This is in response to women’s demands and also to recent events, to the transformations taking place in the political, social and economic spheres,” said Ms. Bachelet. “With rising demand for justice, upcoming elections in many countries and political transition, we can open doors wider for women in pursuit of the dignity and rights which all human beings are entitled,” she added.

Read the press release and Ms. Bachelet's opening remarks.

Watch the press conference webcast.

CONGRATULATIONS ASHER JAY for becoming the USNC-UN Women 2012 DESIGN STAR 
 

Asher Jay is a designer, artist, writer and activist who often uses her work to raise awareness of  animal rights, wildlife conservation and sustainable development.  Her extensive travels combined with her art education at Parsons the New School of Design, led her to an appreciation and awareness of the complex mixture of varying cultural influences. According to Jay's website, "All of her work is anchored by the deep commitment she harbors toward the realization of a collective future."

Look for Asher Jay's winning design on our Walk T-Shirts this year: 

We want to thank all of our creative designers in our first ever contest to design a t-shirt for our coast to coast Walks to Prevent Violence Against Women and Girls.  Entries and votes came from all over the United States.  We were thrilled to see such tangible support for UN Women's efforts to end gender-based violence. 

Congratulations to Leymah Gbowee as joint winner of the
2011 Nobel Peace Prize! 
Watch her story and those of other courageous women in
"Women, War and Peace."

If you missed "Women, War and Peace,"  the 5 part series that highlights war from a woman’s perspective, you can watch or re-watch it online. This documentary — aired on PBS over five successive Tuesdays beginning Oct. 11 — features women peacebuilders in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Colombia, and Liberia.  Read more about the series and how to donate to UN Women programs that directly address issues of women and conflict.

USNC Joins UN Women in Applauding
Nobel Peace Prize Awards for Women Leaders

"This year’s Nobel Peace Prize is an important acknowledgement of what women have been demanding for years: the equal involvement of women in all peace, security and democracy decisions," said UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet, as she congratulated the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize Winners, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman.  Read more of Ms. Bachelet's remarks and about UN Women's groundbreaking work on women, peace and security.