Media Contacts:
Oisika Chakrabarti, Ph: +1 646 781-4522; Email: oisika.chakrabarti[at]unwomen.org
Sharon Grobeisen, Ph: +1 646 781-4753; Email: sharon.grobeisen[at]unwomen.org
Maria Sanchez, Ph: +1 646 781-4753; Email: maria.sanchez[at]unwomen.org
Zina Alam, Ph: +1 646 781-4783; Email: zina.alam[at]unwomen.org

The 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly opens today at UN Headquarters. During its General Debate, starting on 19 September, under the theme, “Focusing on people: striving for peace and a decent life for all on a sustainable planet”, UN Women will bring forth the voices of women and girls, and spotlight the interventions that are making a real difference in the lives of women and girls worldwide.

The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted two years ago, placed gender equality and women’s empowerment at the heart of the 2030 Agenda. The global compact of world leaders reiterated that women’s empowerment is a pre-condition to change the course of the key challenges of the 21st century, such as poverty, climate change and inequality.

The General Debate will bring attention to a diverse range of urgent issues, from global migration to prevention of conflict, human trafficking, and efforts towards sustainable development and human rights. UN Women will host several events that will provide the gender perspective on these issues, highlighting women’s unique needs and priorities, and their solutions and leadership in addressing these challenges.

UN Women-hosted high-level events will bring together Member States, partners from civil society, gender experts and the private sector, and take an in-depth look at the concrete solutions that have proven to be successful. The events will also examine the gaps that deter women’s progress worldwide and cover a cover a broad range of key issues, including: women’s economic empowerment, equal pay, sexual and reproductive health and rights, ending violence against women and girls, engaging men and boys as equality champions, gender and climate action, financing for gender equality, innovation and technology’s role in advancing gender equality, power of sport for women’s empowerment, and others.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Events held on UN premises are open only to UN-accredited media. More information at: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml

UN Women hosted or co-organized events include:

14 September

Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Industry Forum 2017: Partnerships to make innovation and technology work for women and girls
The first UN Women Global Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship Industry Forum will bring together CEOs, social entrepreneurs, innovators and thought leaders to share how innovation, technology and entrepreneurship can be used to advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment around the world and showcase leading strategies and innovative solutions for overcoming key challenges to women’s and girls’ advancement. Speakers will include United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, SAP Chief Marketing Officer Alicia Tillman, HP Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer Nate Hurst, Founder of Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls Meredith Walker, NASA Deputy Director for Technology and Research Investments Christyl Johnson, Founder of the fashion brand Rachel Roy Rachel Roy, Chief Brand Officer & Co-founder Foodstirs Sarah Michelle Gellar, and CEO of Global Citizen Hugh Evans, among others. See event agenda here.

Ahead of the Forum, UN Women launched the Global Innovation Coalition for Change (GICC), with 22 partners from private sector, non-profit organizations and academic institutions, which will work over a two-year period to promote a gender-sensitive market that recognizes and promotes women as innovators and entrepreneurs; and invests in technology to meet the needs of women and girls.

WHEN: 14 September, 10.30 a.m. – 7 p.m. Check-in (photo ID required) begins at 10 a.m.; the event is from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
WHERE: SAP New York, 10 Hudson Yards, New York
RSVP: This event has limited capacity and registration is required. To confirm attendance, please RSVP to gender.innovation[at]unwomen.org.
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: Media are welcome to attend the event and access the press room, where following their presentations, the speakers will hold Q&A sessions. Media are also welcome to request one-on-one interviews with speakers on the day. Follow the online conversation on Twitter @UN_Women using the hashtag #sheinnovates. The event will also be livestreamed on www.facebook.com/sapnextgen/videos

18 September

High-level Side Event on Accelerating Efforts to Eliminate Child Marriage in Africa by 2030
The Government of Zambia, with support from UNICEF, UNFPA, the African Union Commission and UN Women will host a high-level side event for global leaders to renew their commitments and accelerate efforts to end child marriage in Africa by 2030. The event, with the presence of the President of Zambia Edgar Lungu, President of Uganda Yoweri Museveni and President of Malawi Peter Mutharika, will also be an opportunity to renew existing partnerships to end child marriage in the build up to the second African Girls’ Summit on Ending Child Marriage in Africa. UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, will moderate this event.

WHEN: 18 September, 12.30 – 2.15 p.m.
WHERE: UNICEF House, Labouisse Hall, 3 United Nations Plaza, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: This event is by registration only. For more information please contact chifwailahellen[at]gmail.com or msdiouf[at]unicef.org

High-level Launch of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC)
The high-level launch of the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC) will bring together senior government and UN officials, private sector and trade unions leaders, and civil society representatives to call for equal pay for work of equal value by 2030. EPIC is an engagement platform for collaborative global, regional and national action, which will assist UN Member States in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, as equal pay is central to the achievement of gender equality and empowering women. The event, co-hosted by the ILO, UN Women and the OECD, will discuss the specific activities that will be carried out under EPIC, through its Platform of Champions and institutions with relevant experience, including advocacy and policy and action-oriented processes, such as knowledge sharing, capacity building, workshops, and data analysis. Countries that have already taken innovative measures to drive implementation on the ground will be present at the event to share their experiences.

WHEN: 18 September, 3 – 5.30 p.m.
WHERE: ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml. A press release will be available on the day. More information on the event and on EPIC is available on this website.

Event will be webcast live at www.unwomen.org

19 September

Leave No One Behind: Actions and Commitments for Women’s Economic Empowerment
This event will feature a high-level roundtable organized by the Group of Champions for Women’s Economic Empowerment and UN Women, to take forward the recommendations made by the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment, with a focus on leaving no one behind. Among the participants, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, President of Costa Rica Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka will be present. The HLP, established in 2016, was tasked with developing an action-oriented agenda in support of women’s economic empowerment, and produced two reports, which identify seven drivers of change and present recommendations for transformative actions necessary to advance women’s economic empowerment. For more info, visit the website.

WHEN: 19 September, 3 – 4.30 p.m.
WHERE: Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media, who will also need a special event ticket, to be picked up on the day of the event at the Media Accreditation and Liaison Unit office, UN Headquarters. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml

Event will be webcast live at www.unwomen.org

SDG 5 Dream Team – Global Goals World Cup Tournament
Sport meets advocacy in this highly entertaining football event where 24 teams of inspiring women from five continents compete to win the Five-a-Side Global Goals World Cup trophy. To qualify, each team has led a campaign of advocacy and action for their favourite UN Global Goal, and they compete by a unique set of rules that decides games based on action, mobilization, style and soccer skills. Celebrity referees include Game of Thrones Actor & UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Victor Ochen. The event is hosted by Danish sports organization Eir Soccer, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN, UNDP, UN Women, Save the Children, GAIN and the NYC Mayors Office for International Affairs. More information on the website.

WHEN: 19 September, 4.30 – 8 p.m. Press conference from 3.30 p.m.
WHERE: Brooklyn Expo Center,  72 Noble Street, Brooklyn
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The following are available for interviews: Game of Thrones Actor & UNDP Goodwill Ambassador Nikolaj Coster-Waldau; Nobel Peace Prize Nominee Victor Ochen; Artist Olafur Eliasson; Founders of Global Goals World Cup and winner of IOC Women in Sport trophy 2016 Majken Gilmartin & Rikke Ronholt, and SDG5 Dream Team member (nominated by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka) Dina Smailova. Contact for interviews: rr[at]eirsoccer.com;
RSVP: http://ggwcup.com/rsvp-nyc.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Follow @ggwcup and @UN_Women on Twitter; hashtags #ggwcup and #SDG5DreamTeam

20 September

HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 Parity Report Launch
UN Women will launch the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 Parity Report, sharing tangible solutions towards achieving gender equality. The event will focus on the emerging proven practices of the 30 IMPACT Champions, including Heads of State, CEOs and Universities, who will share groundbreaking solutions and tangible toolkits towards the achievement of gender equality in our lifetime.

WHEN: 20 September, 10 a.m. – noon
WHERE: Cipriani, 110 East 42nd Street, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: RSVP via this link. This event will be live-streamed on the HeForShe website. Media enquiries: Sara Stevens (Allison PR), +1 646.428.0675, HeForShe[at]Allisonpr.com; and Charlotte Hallqvist (UN Women HeForShe), +44 749 663 4141, charlotte.hallqvist[at]unwomen.org.

The Role of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Economic Empowerment of Women
Co-hosted by the Governments of Costa Rica, Finland and Zambia, in collaboration with UNFPA and UN Women, this high-level breakfast event will review the critical links between sexual and reproductive health and rights and women’s full participation in economic development. The event will provide a platform for participants to share knowledge and experience, to strengthen awareness and to leverage commitment on realizing women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and their economic empowerment. Expected event speakers include Vice President of Costa Rica Ana Helena Chacón Echeverría, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, Finland, Kai Mykkänen, Minister of Gender, Zambia, Victoria Kalima, UNFPA Acting Executive Director Natalia Kanem, and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, among others.

WHEN: 20 September, 8 – 10 a.m.
WHERE: Delegates Dining Room, 4th Floor, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml.

Launch event of the EU-UN joint initiative aimed at ending violence against women and girls (VAWG)
As champions of the 2030 Agenda and women's rights and empowerment (SDG 5), the EU and the UN are launching a new partnership - a global initiative to end all forms of VAWG, including harmful practices, by 2030, a common priority of both organisations. The EU-UN Gender Initiative will start by focusing action on several areas of major concern such as trafficking in women and girls and sexual and economic (labour) exploitation; domestic and family violence; sexual and gender-based violence; and femicide. The launch event will take place with high-level delegate participation from the UN and EU, civil society, Messengers of Peace and Goodwill Ambassadors, including UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

WHEN: 20 September, 2 – 4 p.m.
WHERE: Trusteeship Council, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml.

Event will be webcast live at www.unwomen.org

Celebrating Women of Achievement contributing to Sustainable Development, Peace and Security
UN Women and Global Partnerships Forum are jointly hosting a luncheon to recognize women leaders in public office for their pioneering work to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment around the globe. Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden, Margot Wallström; Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi; and Chairwoman of General Women’s Union of UAE, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, are some of the agents of change expected to attend. The event, with keynote remarks by Deputy Executive Director of UN Women Lakshmi Puri, will provide an opportunity for women pioneers to share their success stories. At the luncheon, Mr. Amir Dossal, President of Global Partnerships Forum, will also recognize women leaders from business and civil society.

WHEN: 20 September, 1 – 1.30 p.m.
WHERE: Private Dining Room, UN Headquarters, New York.
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml To attend, RSVP to Asteya Percaya, UN Women, Asteya.percaya[at]unwomen.org, with full name and title.

21 September

Global Business and Philanthropy Leaders’ Forum for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
This high-level Forum will convene business and philanthropy leaders from around the world who are committed to investing in the empowerment of women and girls. Business and philanthropy leaders, including Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation co-chair Melinda Gates, Alibaba CEO Jack Ma and others will come together at the Forum to collaborate and announce support towards UN Women’s work and to close the financing gap for gender equality that stands in the way of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. More information can be found here.

WHEN: 21 September, 8 – 9 a.m.
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: This event is not open to the media. A press release and photo will be issued on the morning of the event.

Parental Leave, a key to prosperity – and other true stories
Together with UN Women, the Nordic Council of Ministers under Norway’s Presidency will host a high-level discussion on policies promoting equal opportunities in working life, affordable child care, education and parental leave for all parents. The debate, moderated by journalist Femi Oke, aims to highlight experiences from trade unions and the private sector. Panelists include: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway, Børge Brende (host), Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka (co-host), Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iceland, Gudlaugur Thór Thórdarson, Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Spotify, Isa Notermans, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Sharan Burrow, and Director General of Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO) Kristin Skogen Lund. To register, visit this page.

WHEN: 21 September, 11 a.m. – 12.15 p.m.
WHERE: ECOSOC Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media and limited seats for non-UN accredited media are available. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml. Media enquiries: Anna Rosenberg, annros@norden.org

Event will be webcast live at www.unwomen.org

Women Mediators Network: From Paper to Practice. How to strengthen synergies and complementarities for greater efficiency and impact
Co-hosted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Women and the African Union, this high-level side event will focus on Building Peace for Tomorrow by strengthening the role and capacity of women mediators and mediation experts in the Mediterranean Region. Ahead of the launch of the Mediterranean Women Mediators Network in October 2017, this initiative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, within the Italian mandate on the Security Council, aims to facilitate a better understanding of the opportunities, prospects and potential challenges of networks of women mediators in contributing to inclusive and sustainable peacemaking initiatives.

WHEN: 21 September, 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE: Conference Room 7, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media and limited seats for non-UN accredited media are available. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml.

[CANCELLED] High-level Luncheon on Transformative Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Hosted by UN Women, this luncheon for global leaders aims to build on commitments made by United Nations Member States, from Albania to Zambia, at the 2015 Global Leaders Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment. This high-level event will provide the opportunity for Member States to make new commitments and show the way for further accelerated action for gender equality. In an interactive dialogue, participating leaders will also discuss trends in financing SDG 5 and explore paths to scale up with foundational steps towards bridging the gender investment gap. The luncheon will be co-chaired by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Heads of State. The interactive dialogue will include Director of Development Cooperation Directorate (OECD) Jorge Moreira Da Silva, Al Shehab Foundation’s Reda Shukry, a beneficiary from the UN Trust Fund, and Heads of State, State Secretaries and Ministers from several countries including Chile, Norway, Italy, Estonia, Benin, Costa Rica, Spain, Bulgaria. 

WHEN: 21 September, 12.30 – 3 p.m.
WHERE: West Terrace of Delegates Dining Room, 4th Floor, United Nations Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml To attend, RSVP to queenee.choudhury[at]unwomen.org and Xioaman.zhang[at]unwomen.org with full name and title by 15 September, 2017.

High-Level Briefing on the African Women Leaders Network 
Co-hosted by UN Women, the African Union Commission, with the support of the Federal Republic of Germany, this briefing, convened under the leadership of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat (TBC) and the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Amina J. Mohammed (TBC), aims to showcase recent activities, their preliminary outcomes, and the priorities of the African Women Leaders Network, which was launched in May 2017. The event will feature high-level speakers from the African Union Commission, UN Women, the Government of Germany, and Members of the Network, including Director-General for International Order, United Nations and Arms Control at the German Federal Foreign Office Ambassador Patricia Flor, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Sweden, H.E. Margot Elisabeth Wallström, Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, African Union Commission Bineta Diop, and UN Women Executive DirectorPhumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

WHEN: 21 September, 1.15 – 2.30 p.m.
WHERE: Trusteeship Council Chamber, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml.

Event will be webcast live at www.unwomen.org

22 September

The Women, Peace and Security Agenda in a Changing Global Context
The Government of Namibia, in collaboration with the Government of Norway and UN Women, will hold a High-Level Side Event challenging stakeholders to rethink the Women, Peace and Security agenda. The event will provide a platform for participants to share experiences and propose innovative approaches to deliver security of women and girls from local to global levels that can be taken up by countries that are developing WPS national/regional action plans. Expected speakers include: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Deputy Prime Minister of Namibia (who played a leading role in the adoption of UNSCR1325 in October 2000 when Namibia was chair of the UN Security Council) Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, South Africa, Maite Nkoane-Mashabane, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Nigeria, Senator Aisha Jummai Alhassan, and a representative from Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For pre-registration, visit this page.

WHEN: 22 September 2017, 1.15 – 2.30 p.m.
WHERE: Conference Room 11, UN Headquarters, New York
INFORMATION FOR MEDIA: The event is open to UN accredited media. Information on UN media accreditation: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml.

Note for media

• Media can watch live webcast of events on unwomen.org and from UN’s Media Centre for journalists covering the UN General Assembly in North Lawn Building (NLB), in old CR-1. [Seating is first-come first-served basis]. 
• For press covering the UN Women events held at UN Headquarters, UN media accreditation is required. More information at: https://www.un.org/en/media/accreditation/unga.shtml

Related links:

• UN Women at the 72^nd General Assembly: https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/general-assembly
• Sustainable Development Goals: https://www.unwomen.org/en/what-we-do/post-2015
• Social media: Join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #UNGA, and follow @UN_Women on Twitter to get updates from UN Women events.
• Gender-related news and resources from the UN: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/