Global campaign for gender equality unveils high-level leaders
Deliver for Good, a global campaign powered by Women Deliver in coordination with 10 founding partners that applies a gender lens to global development, announces five campaign influencers: Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess Mary of Denmark; José Alberto "Pepe" Mujica Cordano, the former President of Uruguay; Dr. Alaa Murabit, UN High-Level Commissioner on Health Employment & Economic Growth and UN SDG Global Advocate; Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women; and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, a gender equality advocate and the wife of Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau.
The announcement was made at a high-level reception hosted by Women Deliver and the Deliver for Good partners during the United Nations' 61st Commission on the Status of Women.
"The growing wave of conservatism threatens the precious gains the world has made to ensuring all girls and women can enjoy health, rights and wellbeing — everywhere," said Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver. "Now, more than ever, leading global voices must stand up for what is right and champion investments in girls and women to power progress for all. This is precisely why I am so proud to announce the Deliver for Good Influencers today."
The primary goal of the Deliver for Good campaign is to promote political, programmatic, and financial investments in girls and women across 12 critical issue areas, from education and sexual health and rights to climate change and access to resources. Deliver for Good Influencers will support the campaign by calling for these investments and engaging multi-sector allies to redefine the narrative around girls and women as agents of change and critical drivers of progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the global and country levels. To date, nearly 200 organisations from 56 countries have joined the campaign, and 34 ministers and 85 parliamentarians have been engaged.
"It is only by working in all 12 of the investment areas, where evidence of girls' and women's contributions to global peace and security, to sustainability and development, can be advanced, that we can create tangible roadmaps for the continued support for initiatives which propel this agenda forward," said Dr. Alaa Murabit.
By focusing on girls and women as complete individuals – addressing their diverse needs across health, education, economic rights, and more – Deliver for Good takes an integrated approach to fueling solutions that will transform the lives of girls and women and yield benefits for families, economies, and nations.
"By expanding our networks, reinforcing each other, and sharing best practices on how to boost investment in gender equality and women's empowerment, together we can create real and lasting change for women and girls," said Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.
"Our societies have taken profound steps towards a more gender equal world, but at current rates, gender equality might not be achieved in our lifetimes," said Sophie Grégoire Trudeau. "We must all work as one, including having men being part of the solution, as we collectively put women at the heart of development and by empowering them to drive change that will lead to better outcomes – for women, for their families, for their communities, and for society. By denying women and girls their fundamental rights, we are preventing societies from reaching their full potential."