New York– On January 1, 2011, UN Women—the new women’s empowerment and gender equality body that consolidates the four smaller women and gender agencies of the UN—officially became operational.  Although UN Women has not received as much recognition as it deserves, it is one of the greatest achievements of the United Nations in the 21^st Century.

WEDO, as one of the founding members and facilitators of the GEAR Campaign, looks forward to working with UN Women to achieve gender equality goals, which the UN has heralded for years but has yet to fully put into practice.  In particular, as the Rio+20 Sustainable Development Summit in 2012 approaches, WEDO urges UN Women to be supportive of gender synergies among the three sustainable development conventions  at every level. In this and other areas, women’s organizations around the world will be central to successful implementation, as Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, has emphasized many times.

WEDO congratulates UN Women upon completion of its first week of operation and will continue to work with UN Women in striving to achieve women’s equal rights around the world.