Picture (left-right): Soroptimist UN Reps Paulette Forbes-Igharo and Lois Beilin meet UN Women Leader Phumzile Mlambo-Nguka

Just two weeks into her tenure as Under Secretary General of UN Women, Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka invited NGO representatives for a two hour meeting to get acquainted in New York. Soroptimist International’s UN Representatives Paulette Forbes-Igharo, Betty Levy and Lois Beilin all attended this meeting, which demonstrates the importance that the new UN Women leader places on working with civil society organisations.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka described  her government work in
South Africa, with the YWCA in

Geneva and as an educator, which will  inform her role  as policy maker, advocate and negotiator with governments on key issues. In a free ranging discussion, she noted her support for further UN Women Centres in countries and regions to facilitate greater  outreach to  women and girls in most need.  Grassroots groups and organizations are also  important partners of UN Women in this ambitious and challenging task.

She went on to say that “constitutional rights” is no guarantee of the actual implementation of equality and human rights for women, but  continued vigilance and care is required. Traditional and cultural practices that are harmful to women and girls are  frequently cited as “outside” the parliamentary and constitutional rules or laws and must be challenged as a violation of human rights.

UN Women will  work to hold  governments to the most powerful post-2015 agenda for the  empowerment of women and girls by setting targets and indicators of gender equality  Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka continued.  UN Women is  giving this work the highest priority in the coming months.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka has announced that she will  speak to all  NGOs that will be attending the upcoming CSW 58 opening on Sunday, March 9, 2014,  for the opening of the NGOCSW Forum.

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