Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka – Photo: UN
By PANA
New York, US – Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa took the oath of office on Monday as the new head of the UN body tasked with promoting women’s rights and their full participation in global affairs.
The PANA correspondent in New York reported that in a ceremony presided over by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was sworn in as the second Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
Her predecessor, Ms. Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, stepped down earlier this year.
The appointment of Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, former Deputy President of South Africa, was announced by the secretary-general on 10 July.
Ban has said that Ms. 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.
Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President of South Africa from 2005 to 2008.
UN Women was established in July 2010 by a unanimous vote of the UN General Assembly to oversee all of the world body’s programmes aimed at promoting women’s rights.
It is tasked with helping UN member states implement standards, providing technical and financial support to countries which request it, and forging partnerships with civil society.
