NEW YORK (August 20, 2013)– WEDO warmly congratulates Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, who was officially sworn in on August 19th, as the new Executive Director of UN Women. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka is a South African national, and has held the position as Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry (1996-1999), Minister of Minerals and Energy (1999-2005) and Deputy President (2005-2008). She has long been engaged in the empowerment of women and youth, and was the first President of the South African Natal Organization of Women as well as the founder of the Umlambo Foundation, supporting schools in impoverished areas in South Africa. Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy in Educational Planning and Policy from the University of Cape Town and a BA in Education from the University of Lesotho.

WEDO is confident that UN Women, under the leadership of Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka, will remain an important partner in advocating for women’s rights and ensuring gender responsiveness in global and national development policies. We look forward to cooperating closely to secure the incorporation of the full rights of women into the new Sustainable Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda, in order to achieve the sustainable future we want. WEDO also counts on the active support of UN Women in our efforts to see the gender aspect of climate change addressed in global adaptation and mitigation policies under the UNFCCC.

With the best wishes for her success, WEDO reaffirms our strong commitment to support the work of Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka and UN Women in the years to come.