b'FOREWORDBy sharon fisher SI President 2020-2021At the beginning of 2020, the Soroptimist calendar highlighted many important global milestones. The year would celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations (UN); the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the 5th Anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals. Plans were taking place for the 100th Anniversary of Soroptimist International (SI), and more, with theseveral events, with a SI UN Representative year looking forward in its review of thetaking a leadership role. progress made in gender equality, and theThe theme of homelessness was the subject empowerment of women and girls.of our written statement, and we delivered 2020 would take a prominent positionoral interventions, as well as hosting and in the history books, but not for theparticipating in a side event.Within a week, events predicted. Instead, 2020 would beit was clear the world was changed, as UN remembered as the year of COVID-19. Thecentres closed their doors, travel restrictions year the world was forced to pause as a virusensued, and millions of people lost their swept across the globe causing devastation.lives to the virus.Plans were cancelled, events postponed,As we were initiated into the world of virtual businesses closed, and projects delayed.meetings, it wasnt long before Soroptimists The year of the pandemic saw womensfound ways to support each other; new human rights challenged. On the front line,ways of doing old things and responding to we witnessed women impacted in greaterthe challenges with innovation and fluidity.numbers, called upon to take greaterSoroptimists were encouraged to share their risks and face unusual and dangerouscollective impact in response to COVID-19, challenges, whilst behind closed doors,aand clubs and members started sewing shadow pandemic showed increasingmasks, making gowns and responding in numbers of women trapped in situations ofmultiple ways to meet the needs of their violence. In February 2020, our SI delegationlocal communities.attended the Commission on Social Development, in person, and were active in soroptimistinternational.org 3'