The empowerment of women has lead to the empowerment of nations and the international community. Here’s a few who have worked through the UN to get things done!
1. Malala Yousafzai
In 2012, Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by the Taliban in her home country of Pakistan while on her way to school. She was evacuated for medical treatment to the UK and has lived there ever since, dedicating her life to activism ever since. She has been on the forefront of advocated promoting education for girls around the world. In 2017, Secretary General Antonio Guterres named her the youngest UN Messenger of Peace with a special focus on girls’ education. Messengers are distinguished individuals designated by the UN to help focus worldwide attention on the work of the United Nations. Malala has become an important symbol of the UN and its work to achieve the SDGs. She has been selected to speak on several occasions including at the UN Youth Assembly this past September.
2. Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt was appointed by President Harry Truman to the first ever American delegation to the UN in 1945, thus making her also the first woman to ever represent the U.S at the United Nations. “Being the only woman delegate from this country, I feel a great responsibility, also, to the women of my own country” said Roosevelt in response to her appointment. Her passion for advocacy soon landed her the position of the first Chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1947. As Chair, Eleanor served as the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted on December 10th, 1948.
3. Margaret Anstee
Margaret Anstee is known by her title “woman of firsts”, due to the many positions at the UN she held which had never before been given to a woman. Anstee served as a British diplomat for many years before securing an administrative position at the UN offices in Manilla. She quickly rose in the rankings until landing the title of Under Secretary General in 1987, over thirty years after she first started her work at the UN. The position of USG is the third highest ranking position in the body, and Anstee became the first woman to hold it. In 1992, Anstee lead the peacekeeping mission to Angola, also becoming the first woman to ever lead a peacekeeping mission in the history of the UN.
4. Navenehtam Pillay
Navenehtam Pillay grew up as a non-white minority in apartheid South Africa. She dedicated her life to bringing justice to the oppressed by being the first woman to open a law practice South Africa’s Natal Province. Over her years as a lawyer, Pillay worked on many cases defending anti-apartheid campaigners and trade unionists. She served as a judge on the International Criminal Court before her appointment as the High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2008. In addition to her work at the UN, Pillay is a co-founder of the international NGO Equality Now, which campaigns for women’s rights.
5. Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher may never have held an official UN position, but she greatly influenced the UN during her time as Britain’s first female Prime Minister. She is most known for her work on climate change. In 1989, Thatcher made a ground-breaking speech at the UN General Assembly voicing her concerns and calling the international community to action to end climate change. She was also a chief organizer of the Second World Climate Conference, at which the Kyoto Protocol was drafted. The Kyoto Protocol is one of, if not the, most fundamental document on climate change put forward by the international community.
6. Emma Watson
You may only know Emma Watson as the Harry Potter series’ beloved Hermione Granger, but following her graduation from Brown University, Emma has dedicated her time to advocating for gender equality. In 2014, UN Women appointed Emma as their Goodwill Ambassador. She helped develop UN Women’s HeForShe campaign which promotes feminism amongst males. As part of her humanitarian efforts, Watson visited Bangladesh and Zambia to promote girls’ education. “Being asked to serve as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador is truly humbling,” said Emma Watson. “The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly. Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life that I can’t imagine an opportunity more exciting.”
