Greetings Friend,
I hope you had a wonderful International Women's Day and Rose Day celebration. It made me smile to see our Zonta members taking their celebration to the streets while engaging with their community, like-minded partners and prospective members. These actions raise the visibility of Zonta and our mission and bring attention to how far we have come to ensure that women's rights are human rights.
While at the 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York at the beginning of the month, I saw and heard firsthand how important it is to have valued partnerships both through our UN partners and local organizations. Together, we make a bigger impact for women and girls as we can pool our resources, time and energy and be stronger than if we were working alone.
Although there is still much work to be done, I am optimistic because we have such committed members and dedicated partners by our side as we build a better world for women and girls.
Warm regards,
Ute Scholz
President 2022-2024
Zonta International and the Zonta Foundation for Women
Innovation, technology and partnership at CSW67
The 67th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) has come to an end! We hope our Zonta members who attended will return to their clubs and communities informed about the issues women and girls face in the digital age and inspired to take action. Despite the barriers ahead, we know our Zonta members will not be afraid to be bold when it comes to women's rights and push for action and change now.
CSW is also a great opportunity to meet with our UN partners. We met with UNFPA to discuss our work to strengthen services for survivors of violence in Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste, as well as UNFPA’s ongoing efforts to help women in conflict areas and those affected by natural disasters and other emergencies.
Our extraordinary partnership with UNICEF USA, which has spanned more than 50 years, was highlighted through two highly impactful events. On International Women’s Day, President Ute joined Lauren Rumble, Associate Director of Gender Equality for UNICEF, and Tina Tchen, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Impact Officer for the Obama Foundation, for a special panel discussion on the importance of partnerships. The event was moderated by an amazing 11-year-old activist, Faatiha Aayat. The second event was a joint parallel event on innovation and its transformative impact on gender equity. Watch a recording of the conversation here.
This long-last relationship between Zonta and UNICEF USA has been beneficial for both Zonta and UNICEF. As Rachel Steinberg, Zontian and managing director at UNICEF USA, said, "Innovation is really about taking a look at things and doing them differently. This partnership [with Zonta] has been the catalyst for UNICEF to be able to do new things."
We hope you will join us in March 2024 for CSW68. Watch for the dates to be announced later this year.
Zontians In Action
Clubs and members have made great strides in making a difference for the women and girls in their communities and beyond. By working with local organizations to partner on events relating to International Women’s Day, the mission of Zonta makes a bigger impact! Read the stories below that highlight their amazing work.
Zonta Club of Colombo III addresses period poverty on International Women's Day
After learning about their country's period poverty rate, the Zonta Club of Colombo III, Sri Lanka, partnered with local businesses and organizations to raise funds to provide female hugiene products and help girls stay in school.
With the help of their partners, the club donated female hygiene products to 161 girls from Maryam Girls School in Colombo. They also conducted an educational program on menstrual hygiene with a medical expert and an informative session with the Women and Children's Bureau of the Sri Lanka Police.
Zonta Club of Torino celebrates famous historical women and more
In honor of International Women's Day, the Zonta Club of Torino, Italy, collaborated with the Royal Museums to publish the volume, Celebrated women in the Cabinet of Miniatures of the Royal Palace of Turin. The publication focuses on the female miniatures in the prized Cabinet of Miniatures in the Apartment of Queen Maria Teresa at the Palazzo Reale.
Share Your Story
Did your club recently do a service or advocacy action?
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Zonta Advocacy: What is your climate change goal?
Join the Zonta International Advocacy Committee and special guest, Lily Odarno, for a virtual discussion around climate change, its impacts on women, and the importance of the local context for developing and implementing climate solutions
Implementing climate change goals: the all-important
role of local context and impacts to women
Thursday, 30 March
11:00 AM CDT
Find your time: Meeting Planner
Register
Will you add your voice?
The Add Your Voice Membership Campaign begins 1 April. Invite a friend to your club meeting or encourage them to look into the membership options that work best for them! Whether a traditional, supporting, e-club or young professional membership – Zonta’s solution for gender equity is available to women and men everywhere!
Learn more about the campaign at www.zonta.org/AddYourVoice.
Find adventure in Brisbane with Zonta!
Will you be joining us in Australia for the 2024 Zonta International Convention, which will take place from 27-30 June 2024? To start your convention planning today, check out the preliminary schedule-at-a-glance.
Meet Isata, a Remarkable Woman
Watch now on-demand: : Meet Emma Beal, a 2018 Zonta International Women in Business Scholar who is passionate about using economic policy and analytics tools to positively impact the global energy transition. She is a core team member of the climate/sustainability and energy practice areas at the Boston Consulting Group office in Melbourne, Australia.
Hear Emma's story to learn why she is a remarkable woman!
Celebrate
Congratulations to the Zonta Club of Hamilton 1, Canada, District 4, and the Zonta Club of Warren, USA, District 4, on celebrating their 95th anniversaries this month. We applaud your efforts in advocating for the women and girls in your community and beyond!
To see which other clubs are celebrating a milestone anniversary in March, please visit Zonta News.