Welcome
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 here.
The press conference will be archived at: www.un.org/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.
Circles of Giving Challenge
It's time for healthy competition between chapters and between those who participate in our Circles of Giving. For the first time, USNC-UN Women is initiating a challenge to its chapters and to its members to increase the number of men and women who support USNC-UN Women.
The goal of USNC is to empower women and girls and give them a voice worldwide. We can only do that by increasing our own voice through an increased number of supporters. From November 11, 2011 to February 7, 2012, the chapters will be competing to add new participants in our Circles of Giving and renew those who have let their participation expire.
Read More here and Accept the Challenge!
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.
