Executive Director in India

From 8-12 November, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is in India on her first visit to the sub-continent as the head of UN Women. Women’s public safety and legislation on women’s economic empowerment and political participation are high on the agenda.

13 November

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka meets with newly appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador to South Asia Farhan Akhtar. He is the first man to take on the role in the organization's history. Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh

UN Women today announced the appointment of actor-filmmaker-singer Farhan Akhtar as its South Asia Goodwill Ambassador. Farhan is the first man to be chosen as a Goodwill Ambassador in the organization’s history. In his new role, Farhan will dedicate his efforts towards the empowerment of women and girls, and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s newly launched HeForShe initiative in advocating for gender equality.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka (middle) meets with Mr. Tata (left) and Mr. Gupta (right) in Mumbai, November 12, 2014. Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh 

12 November

On a stop in Mumbai, India on 12 November, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka met with Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons and Shyamal Gupta, Chairman of Tata International. The meeting was just one of many held with senior ministers, civil society and media leaders, donors, and the private sector. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka aims to underline the leading role India has to play in creating more just societies, as the world’s largest democracy.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (middle), accompanied by Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri (right), meets with India's President Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 11 November 2014. Photo: Rashtrapati Bhavan/Ram Avtar

11 November

During her first visit to the country, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka met today with the President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, at the President's official residence, Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, India. She is the first high-level UN official to visit India since the formation of a new government led by Narendra Modi in May.

In her speech at the Opening Plenary of the 2nd MenEngage Symposium, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka said gender equality can only be achieved if men and boys take full responsibility, working side by side with women and girls, to redress the dynamics that hinder progress.

10 November

Moderated by the Chief of UN Women's Civil Society Section, Lopa Banerjee (centre), participants in the HeForShe conversation discussed how effective policies and measures to promote gender equality have been in transforming gender relations, what challenges remain and how male leaders can be more strategic in moving the agenda forward. Photo: UN Women/Tushar Mehra

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka officially inaugurated the 2nd MenEngage Symposium (read her inaugural speech), which included a HeForShe conversation on male accountability for gender equality. Panelists discussed strategies, measures and policies that they have adopted as male leaders to promote gender equality in their workplace or communities. UN Women is participating in several events at the Symposium.

9 November

In India, UN Women Executive Director hears from rural tech gurus 

The audience greets UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at an “information fair” held in the Town Hall of Shihore, a village block in the western state of Gujarat. Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh

In Gujarat, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka visited the “Making Women’s Voices and Votes Count – An ICT-based Intervention”, which is supported by UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality. Music, dance and more than 500 rural women greeted her as she entered the Town Hall of Shihore. An “information fair” bringing together local women and their elected leaders, was the backdrop of the event, where community members shared their experiences of using technology to catalyse change.

8 November

India visit starts with a meeting with community members on safety

On the first day of her visit to India, Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka participates in an interactive discussion with women, girls and boys about the Delhi Safe City Programme hosted by UN Women’s NGO partner Jagori. Photo: UN Women/Gaganjit Singh

At a packed gathering in south Delhi, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka started her first day in India meeting with community members at a Safe Cities project which works with the administration and NGOs to make public spaces safer for women and girls. At an interactive discussion hosted by UN Women’s NGO partner Jagori, she heard first-hand from women and girls and boys on interventions that are working at the grass-roots level in India’s capital city to ensure women’s safety in public spaces.

7 November

UN Women Executive Director to make first official trip to India

Photo: UN Women/Shaista Chishty

From 8-12 November, Ms.  Mlambo-Ngcuka will travel to India on her first visit to the sub-continent as the head of UN Women. During the five-day visit, she will meet with senior ministers, civil society and media leaders, donors, and the private sector in New Delhi and Mumbai. 

Engaging Men

Photo: Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific International

The visit coincides with the 2nd Global MenEngage Symposium in New Delhi, organized by MenEngage in collaboration with UN Women and other partners, in the context of Beijing+20. The Executive Director will be the opening speaker at the Plenary Session on 11 November. The Symposium, attended by over 1,000 participants from across the globe, will focus this year on the theme of “Men and Boys for Gender Justice”

Follow the Executive Director’s visit on Twitter @unwomenindia and on Facebook.com/unwomenindia

Photos from the visit will be available online at: flickr.com/unwomen