UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director, wishes Zonta International a happy 100th

By Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General, and UN Women Executive Director

Congratulations on your centenary! At UN Women, we greatly value Zonta International and the Zonta International Foundation’s role and work, as well as the endeavors of Zontians around the world. We are grateful for this partnership and your continued, unwavering support of women and girls.

Young women like Rema Fayez Albtoush, of the UN Women Oasis Centre in Taibeh, Jordan, who is a graduate of the home maintenance training program, now have a chance to live their dreams, after struggling to work in non-traditional fields. Ms. Albtoush now wants to start her own micro-business in plumbing, and like many who are empowered through this program, she is confident that she can start her own business through the technical skills she has learned.

We commend your commitment also to preventing and ending violence against women and girls, where again your investment in our work in Jordan helps to empower, protect, and support women. As a result, even in the most difficult of circumstances, these women are now able to earn an income, play a bigger role in household decision-making, improve household nutrition, and combat gender-based violence.

It is women like these whose changed lives demonstrate the impact of our work together and the potential it holds for women and for society as a whole. We are proud of our strong collaborative relationship. Long may it continue.

We also thank you for your support of our work to prevent violence in urban spaces where we address the links between labor migration and human trafficking, and your support for women’s organizations through the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women. 

Next year’s 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action will offer further opportunities for our partnership and celebrate our collaboration with every Zontian.

I send you my warm congratulations and look forward to driving ahead together to bring hope and change to even those left furthest behind.