Pretoria - Former South African Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has taken the oath of office as the new head of the United Nations body tasked with promoting women’s rights and their full participation in global affairs.
In a ceremony presided over by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Mlambo-Ngcuka was sworn in on Monday as the second Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Her predecessor, Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, stepped down earlier this year.
Ban said that Mlambo-Ngcuka brings to her new position a wealth of experience in advocating for women’s issues, “with a combination of strategic leadership, consensus building and hands-on management experience”.
In an interview with SAnews before she left for New York, Mlambo-Ngcuka said pushing for the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the need to create a better life for as many people as possible will be what will drive her in her new role.
“If you can make a difference in one person’s life, that’s important. We all have to make a difference and we all have to put in a little bit in making our country and the world better.
“We have arrived and we are living in a democratic country and world, and there’s nothing more for us to do other than to make this democracy work.
“I will not over promise and under deliver, but I will discharge my responsibilities to the best of my abilities,” she said at the time.
UN Women was established in July 2010 by a unanimous vote of the General Assembly to oversee all of the world body’s programmes aimed at promoting women’s rights. It is tasked with helping Member States implement standards, provide technical and financial support to countries which request it and forge partnerships with civil society. - SAnews.gov.za
