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MONTHLY DIGEST
MAY 2015
HeForShe |Monthly
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Digest| May 2015
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BREAKING NEWS
HeForShe reaches millions with TIME ad
New York, USA—This week, TIME magazine
generously provided HeForShe with a full-page ad,
giving the movement fantastic visibility. The ad,
which reads “I want equality for women and men”,
was featured in the magazine’s print edition. TIME
magazine reaches over 3 million individuals each
week, and has been a steadfast supporter of the
campaign—covering the IMPACT champion
announcement, and naming Emma Watson one of
the 100 most influential people of 2015. Many
thanks to TIME for their generosity and support.
Spanish soccer stars support HeForShe
New York, USA—UN Women announced an exciting
new partnership with leading Spanish soccer team
Valencia Club de Fútbol. The relationship between
UN Women and Valencia CF marks the first time UN
Women has ever collaborated with a professional
sports team; the partnership will extend UN
Women’s reach into new audiences across the
globe.
On May 25, the Valencia team joined UN Women
Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and
dignitaries including the Spanish, Finnish, and
Singaporean ambassadors for a festive kick-off to
what we’re sure will be a fruitful partnership. As
many attendees remarked, sport is truly the global
language. News anchor Richard Lui facilitated a
series of thoughtful remarks from dignitaries
including the Executive Director of UN Women, and
Layhoon Chan, President of the Board of Valencia
CF. In a moving speech, the Valencia captain Dani
Parejo spoke about his (soon to be) role as a father,
and his decision with his wife to raise their son in
the spirit of gender equality..
As the event drew to a close, the Executive Director
pinned the Valencia team with HeForShe pins,
deeming them gender equality advocates.
Keep an eye out for UN Women’s logo on the player’s
jerseys in upcoming tournaments. We’re excited for
a wonderful partnership!
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Iceland launches own HeForShe site and receives
prize for mobilization efforts
New York, USA & Reykjavik, Iceland—Iceland is a
leader not only within HeForShe but across gender
equality at large. The country remains top-ranked
with respect to the Gender Gap Index, and has the
highest concentration of ‘HeForShes’ in the world: 1
in 20 Icelandic men has made a commitment to
HeForShe.
Recently, two exciting developments reinforced
Iceland’s position as a leader. The Icelandic UN
Women National Committee launched their own
HeForShe site, which includes videos and content
featuring Icelandic men, localizing the campaign for
a national audience. Take a look at the site, at
http://heforshe.is/ and check out their first video
here http://bit.ly/1Ll300e . Stay tuned—three more
videos are coming soon!
In New York on May 20, UN Women presented the
Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Gunnar Bragi
Sveinsson, with an award honoring Iceland’s
remarkable contributions to the movement. The
HeForShe Award recognizes outstanding global
achievements in the engagement of men and boys
as gender equality advocates. Iceland received the
award based on its strong track record for women,
and leading contributions to HeForShe.
You can see coverage of the event and read the
Minister’s inspiring statement on gender equality
here: http://bit.ly/1FBot4s .
Congratulations to Iceland! We hope that other UN
Member States will follow in your footsteps.
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Variety & HeForShe partner for starstar-studded Cannes
conversation
Cannes, France—HeForShe joined forces with
leading international publication Variety to bring
gender equality to the Cannes Film Festival this year.
Moderated by HeForShe’s own Elizabeth Nyamayaro
and Variety’s Co-Editor-In-Chief, Claudia Eller, the
panel included Academy Award-nominated actress
and producer Salma Hayek, Bollywood star
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actress Parker Posey, and
award-winning film-makers Christine Vachon and
Elizabeth Karlsen. The group discussed key issues
including the film industry’s representation of
women and its persistent pay gap. In a powerful
moment, actress Salma Hayek said, “There's only
one thing that inspires the people and the power in
the industry, and that's money. They have to
understand how powerful [women] are
economically. We have the power to show them we
can save this film industry." We’re confident change
is to come with this group at the helm.
Photo credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Pakistani students help HeForShe drive towards 1B
Lahore, Pakistan—In less than 48 hours, and with
almost 5,000 online sign-ups from Pakistan alone,
the HeForShe global ticker crossed the 300,000
mark. Following a chance meeting on International
Women’s Day between female students and Mr.
Jamshed Kazi, Representative for UN Women
Pakistan, Pakistani students launched a dedicated
campaign with the bold goal of reaching 300,000
HeForShe supporters.
With nearly 5,000 pledges to go, a team of 30
students from Zimal and Khardaar burned the
midnight oil to bring the global HeForShe ticker over
300,000. Their next goal is to take Pakistan’s online
commitments to 10,000 and above! What is even
more extraordinary is that these students are in
their final year of engineering, preparing for end-ofterm exams and finalizing their theses this month.
Their commitment is truly humbling.
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Mr. Jamshed Kazi, speaking on this student-led
initiative, said: “On behalf of UN Women I would like
to express our deepest appreciation to this
incredibly dedicated and determined group of young
volunteers. The students and youth who have
demonstrated gender equality as their cause are the
new generation ‘gender champions’. I encourage
others to spread the word, build the momentum
and join UN Women’s HeForShe movement in
Pakistan.”
HeForShe announces bold commitments from ten
IMPACT champions: 5 universities & 5 companies
New York, USA—The first public announcement
from the HeForShe IMPACT 10x10x10 program
came on May 5, with ten champions announcing
their personal contributions and commitments to
gender equality.
The companies announcing their commitments
represented five industries and almost 800,000
employees in over 190 countries around the world,
including: Accor Hotels, Tupperware Brands, Koç
Holding, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Ltd,
and Unilever. The universities represented over
150,000 students on four continents, including:
University of Leicester; University of the
Witwatersrand; University of Waterloo; University of
Hong Kong; and Nagoya University.
The announcement garnered fantastic press
coverage, including a feature piece in TIME, here
http://ti.me/1EOmFUb
See the press release here http://bit.ly/1GYoEJ8 and
read about the commitments that will change the
world here http://bit.ly/1AD8eOA
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HEFORSHE LEADERS AROUND THE WORLD
Prime Minister of Bhutan Becomes a HeForShe
Thimphu, Bhutan—The Prime Minister of Bhutan,
Mr.Tshering Tobgay along with the Minister of
Agriculture, and the Minister of Labor showed their
support for gender equality by joining the HeForShe
Campaign. The prime minister has displayed keen
interest in the HeForShe Campaign and has vowed
to boost women’s empowerment in Bhutan.
WFUNA launches HeForShe
New York, USA & Geneva, Switzerland—The World
Federation of UN Associations, representing over
100 United Nations Associations around the world
and their thousands of constituents, announced
their support for HeForShe, calling on supporters via
their website and social media channels. In addition.
The Federation will call on national UN Associations,
urging their involvement in the HeForShe campaign.
UN Women Jordan launch HeForShe campaign
Jordan—After the December 2014 launch of the
HeForShe campaign in Jordan, the country has been
making steady progress, led by the local UN Women
office. UN Women Jordan officially kicked off the
HeForShe campaign with a December 2014 social
media rally around the 16 Days of Activism Against
Gender Violence campaign. The Country Office
called on all UN staff to join the solidarity
movement for gender equality and sign the online
petition.
In collaboration with its Civil Society Advisory
Group, the UN Women Country Office has recently
finalized a new strategy for the HeForShe campaign,
with ambitious social mobilization objectives,
targeting youth, the private sector and the vibrant
civil society community in Jordan.
We’re excited to see what comes next from Jordan!
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Nordic ambassadors to Uganda support HeForShe
with call to emphasize gender in development
Uganda—On the occasion of the national days of
the Nordic countries, the Nordic ambassadors to
Uganda penned a joint letter calling for a post-2015
development agenda with gender equality at its
center. The ambassadors called gender equality “a
prerequisite to achieving basic human rights and
assuring that women and men enjoy the same
power and opportunities to shape their own lives,”
commended Uganda for progress to date and called
for further change so that “real gains for the
ordinary Ugandan, and more so the woman” could
be realized. Finally, the authors pledged “strong
support” to President Museveni and the local
HeForShe campaign. Read the full story here
http://bit.ly/1FpRmz5
At left, Ambassador Urban Andersson and Hon.
Ephraim Kamuntu celebrate the Nordic national day.
(Credit: Dan Lindeberg)
UN Habitat launches HeForShe with strong message
to put gender at the center of urban development
Nairobi, Kenya—Executive Director of UN-Habitat
Dr. Joan Clos, together with other male members of
staff, joined HeForShe, making a personal
commitment to involve men in the issues of gender
equality.
UN-Habitat took one step further, putting gender
equality at the center of urbanization, calling cities a
“source of solutions for a sustainable, gender-equal
future.” According to Dr. Clos: “For cities and towns
to fulfil their role as drivers of sustainable
development, gender equality and women’s
empowerment need to be at the centre of the New
Urban Agenda”. Learn more at http://bit.ly/1BzUFjF
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Support for HeForShe picks up in Iran
Tehran, Iran—The entire male staff of UNDSS
enthusiastically joined the HeForShe campaign in
Iran, building strong support for the movement in
Iran.
Albanian HeForShe supporters discuss gender roles
in exciting event
Albania—HeForShe activist Mrs. Tea Maneku
organized a gender equality workshop with the
support of the Tulla Cultural Centre. The event was
well attended by young boys and girls, and spurred
fantastic discussions about gender roles and the
fight against gender inequality. The workshop
concluded with group exercises and personal
reflections. Many thanks to Besnik Baka and Colette
Donadio of UN Women Albania for their
tremendous help and support in developing this
workshop!
HeForShe travels the wo
world, taking off in Cabo Verde,
the Dominican Republic and Mexico
The month of April saw total signatures in the
Dominican Republic rise from 226 to 2,415, and the
progress keeps coming—as of press time, a total of
2,919 men in the Dominican Republic had
committed to HeForShe! With support from the
local UN Women office and the Vice President of
the Dominican Republic, HeForShe was featured at
the XVIII International Book Fair, held from April 23rd
to May 4th. HeForShe was hosted in the Vice
President’s pavilion, with dedicated full-time staff
promoting the campaign and collecting signatures
from men in attendance at the fair. Due to this
fantastic effort, the Dominican Republic is now
among the top five countries in the region with
respect to total number of HeForShe commitments.
UN Women and the UN Country team (UNCT) have
worked hard recently to promote HeForShe across
Mexico. The UN Women team took the chance to
campaign for HeForShe at a recent event
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celebrating the 70th anniversary of the United
Nations. The outdoor exhibit was well-attended;
with the support of local spokesman Arap Bethke,
the team collected over 350 signatures and
commitments to gender equality. Great job, team!
On the other side of the Atlantic, Cabo Verde is
making great progress. The President of the
National Assembly of Cabo Verde and 40 other
assembly deputies made their commitments this
week. The President of the Republic of Cabo Verde
has been a strong supporter of the movement, and
has pledged to deliver 5,000 signatures. As of press
time, 763 men and boys in Cabo Verde have made
the HeForShe commitment, a 50% increase over last
week’s commitments. Cabo Verde has taken the
lead in the region, with the greatest number of
commitments across West & Central African
nations. We can’t wait to see the journey to 5,000!
At left the President of the National Assembly of
Cabo Verde, Mr. Basílio Mosso Ramos (Photo credit:
Graça Sanche and Clovis Silva)
HeForShe grows with support from across Viet Nam
Viet Nam—UN Women colleagues in Viet Nam have
worked closely with students, celebrities, the
government and the private sector to launch a truly
nationwide campaign. A number of exciting events
have taken place. You can read the highlights below,
but be sure to check out the full story at
http://bit.ly/1LaAQEv . As of press time, 1,091
Vietnamese men and boys had committed to
HeForShe—let’s keep that number up!
HeForShe was featured on popular Vietnamese
game show “Đuổi hình bắt chữ” (“Catchphrase”).
The game was played by the Director of the Viet
Nam Volunteer Center—a strong supporter of UN
Women—and singer Thai Thuy Linh. The moderator
and MC of the show, popular actor Xuan Bac,
committed to support HeForShe and gender
equality.
The first-ever HeForShe photo and video contest
was launched with the aim of engaging men to
show their unique viewpoints on gender equality.
The competition runs through October 6th—be sure
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to share your submissions via
[email protected]
Diplomats from around the world have committed
to HeForShe, including the ambassadors of Canada,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Australia, Cuba,
the US, and Finland. Each one is a firm supporter of
gender equality, believing that all women and men,
girls and boys should live equally. At left, Finland’s
Ambassador to Viet Nam, Mr. Kimmo Lähdevirta,
supports HeForShe.
HEFORSHE TEAM & SPOKESPERSONS
Farhan Akhtar flags off Mount McKinley trip for
HeForShe
Mumbai, India—Anand Bansode, the well-known
Indian mountaineer and motivational speaker,
kicked off a trip to the highest peak in the United
States, Mount McKinley….and summiting with him
will be a HeForShe banner! HeForShe spokesperson
and Bollywood actor Farhan Akhtar met with
Bansode to share his well-wishes, and hand over the
HeForShe banner. We can’t wait to see HeForShe
“reach new heights” with Anand! Learn more about
Anand’s journey here http://bit.ly/1R4zZsQ
Nigel Barker celebrates Mother’s Day with a
HeForShe Takeover
New York, USA—Fashion photographer Nigel Barker
is one of the many prominent men who have lent
their time and influence to HeForShe. In honor of
Mother's Day, the former America's Next Top
Model judge took over the HeForShe Instagram
account. Barker highlighted his own mother,
speaking about her influence not only on him, but on
his two children—Jack and Jasmine. “It’s important
for me,” Barker said, “as a father of both a young son
and daughter, that my children are surrounded by
strong male and female role models who encourage
them to break molds and pursue their dreams no
matter what gender stereotypes exist. Who says my
daughter can’t play with cars or my son be into
fashion?” We agree!
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UN Radio interviews Elizabeth
Elizabeth Nyamayaro
New York, USA—Catherin Hasselberg from UN Radio
spoke to Elizabeth Nyamayaro, Senior Advisor to the
Executive Director of UN Women and founder of
HeForShe. Listen to the full interview here
http://bit.ly/1ELe15j
Nigel Barker book signing raises funds for HeForShe
New York, USA—HeForShe spokesman and
prominent fashion photographer launched a new
book, Models of Influence—an instant New York
Times bestseller.
New York-based boutique INTERMIX hosted an event
to celebrate Mr. Barker’s achievement, donating
10% of proceeds to HeForShe. Many thanks to Nigel
for his ongoing support!
HeForShe Team Takes On New York
New York, USA—The HeForShe team campaigned at
home this month, signing up HeForShe supporters at
the UN Secretariat, Washington Square Park, and
Times Square.
The team logged over 300 commitments at the
Secretariat. Keep an eye out for the team over the
next few weeks—we’re aiming to reach 100% of UN
staff. Many thanks to our UN Women colleagues
who took time out of their day to make a difference.
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HeForShe spokesman featured at TEDX in London
London, UK—Shabeer Booly, HeForShe spokesman
took to the stage at TEDX Kings College London to
discuss the importance of HeForShe, gender
equality, and women’s empowerment, particularly in
the workplace.
Shabeer spoke about his own career path and the
women who supported him to the place he is today,
saying, “it is 'cool' to promote women and recognize
that they have contributed to your success." We
couldn’t agree more.
Many thanks to Shabeer for his tireless support and
advocacy!
PRIVATE SECTOR SUPPORTERS
JPMorgan provides HeForShe with visibility from
coast to coast
New York & Los Angeles, USA—The stats are in, and
HeForShe was featured on 4,647 ATM machines in
New York City and Los Angeles in March and April
resulting in 14,962,490 impressions.
Many thanks to title sponsor JP Morgan for their
fantastic support!
IMPACT Champion Koç Holding reaches 250,000
youth with HeForShe video
Turkey—Koç Holding’s annual youth festival, Koç
Fest, is hosted in cities across Turkey, drawing
thousands of youth from around the country.
Throughout the festival, Koç provided fantastic
visibility to HeForShe, screening a HeForShe video
during daytime activities and on large screens in the
evening’s concerts. Through Koç Fest activities, the
film reached over a quarter of a million youth in
seven cities across Turkey. We’re looking forward to
seeing the numbers climb up on HeForShe.org!
Many thanks to Koç Holding and the UN Women
office in Turkey for their fantastic support.
At left, the HeForShe video plays to an audience of
thousands.
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Harley Davison Supports HeForShe
Cairo, Egypt— The Harley–Davidson Owners Group
in Cairo took a ride! HOG’s Cairo Chapter held a
dedicated ride on Friday, May 15th to show their
support, gathering at points across greater Cairo
before taking off in an impressive formation for
downtown Cairo. During their ride the 40 riders
passed through legendary Tahrir Square and
gathered for a photo with the HeForShe banner in
Talaat Harb square. The final destination was the
Harley-Davidson showroom, where riders signed up
on the website and pledged to spread the word.
“It’s a great movement and I am happy to be here
today to show my solidarity and commitment. I
respect that –as men—we also have an important
role to play to show our commitment to women’s
empowerment and equality,” said Moataz Assayed, a
member of H.O.G.
The ride was announced on the Chapter’s Facebook
group as “a day to show support for gender
equality.” The Chapter encouraged riders to bring
their families and female partners along. Riders also
wore the pins on their embellished riders’ jackets to
advocate for the movement.
UN Women works with Turkish companies to spread
HeForShe across the World
Istanbul, Turkey—Thanks to our colleagues in
Turkey, HeForShe made an appearance at a recent
event in Turkey, the “Women’s Leadership
Platform.” The event, organized by two Turkish
NGOs, focused on economic empowerment and
addressed the idea of “engaging men in women’s
advancement”—a very HeForShe theme! UN
Women made a presentation about the HeForShe
campaign and invited all participants, including the
private sector, to support the campaign. Companies
including Bosch, UPS and Egon Zehnder were in
attendance for the exciting event.
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YOUTH SUPPORTERS
With support from HeForShes, gender
gender equality
advocate runs two half marathons for UN Women
Paris, France & Lisbon, Portugal—Ilda Soares, a
women’s rights activist and athlete, ran two half
marathons in March to raise critical funds for gender
equality. Soares decided to run for UN Women
because she cares deeply about the difficulties faced
by women and girls around the world, and wants to
shine a light on these issues.
In an interview with the HeForShe team, Ilda said, “I
am a runner, so I decided to use running to create
awareness about women’s rights and raise money.
My aim is to help those women who have been
affected by human trafficking to rebuild their life
again.” Soares was not running alone; she had
support from a few fantastic men: David, Mikey,
Kevin and Shiraz. These four runners train women
for marathons, providing all the necessary coaching
and training to ensure their races are a success. The
group is particularly focused on women who have
just begun running, motivating new runners to
achieve their goals. Thank you to David, Mikey, Kevin
and Shiraz!
Young Mauritanians join HeForShe
Nouakchott, Mauritania—
—Young change-makers and
activists gathered at the Iman Hotel in Nouakchott to
speak out for gender equality. Lively discussions took
place, covering the vital role of women in society,
and the importance of women in the new
Sustainable Development agenda. Representatives
from UN sister agencies including UNDP and UNICEF,
as well as the World Bank, were present at the
event.
A number of young men and women came together
to show their support for gender equality and
HeForShe, seen at left.
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Senegalese musicians support HeForShe
Dakar, Senegal—HeForShe continues to gain
momentum in the arts community, with popular
Senegalese musicians lending their voice to the
campaign. International singer and artist Stromae
voiced his support for HeForShe, along with activist
and popular Senegalese artist Didier Awadi. The men
spoke up for gender equality at the Africa Tour
concert in Dakar, reaching thousands of fans and
supporters.. During the same week, the Senegalese
Minister of Tourism and Air Transports, His
Excellency Mr. Abdoulaye Diouf Sarr, also expressed
his keen support for the campaign.
We’re excited to see such strong support from
Senegal!
HeForShe student supporters around the world
Glion, Switzerland—The HeForShe club at Glion
hosted a very successful panel discussion on gender
equality. Following the panel, participants shared
their personal interpretations of HeForShe. Franco
Benitez, co-president of the HeForShe club at Glion,
told the HeForShe team that, ”Before the HeForShe
campaign was launched I was blinded by a mistaken
belief that gender equality is not a men’s issue, lots
of men might also be blinded by the same belief and
I feel the need to change that.” Additionally, the
Glion HeForShe club released a YouTube video for
Mother’s Day, promoting gender equality. You can
watch the full video here: http://bit.ly/1F0il1R
New York, USA—Students at Parsons, The New
School for Design, kick-started the HeForShe
campaign on their campus with fantastic artwork in
support of the movement. Nelly Taheri, the student
leading HeForShe at Parsons, expressed her
excitement about the campaign.
Paris, France—The HeForShe club at SUPINFO, a
Paris-based Computer Science university, launched a
mobile phone app supporting HeForShe. The
developers told the HeForShe team in an exclusive
interview, “We love the HeForShe movement
because it puts men at the center of the debate by
involving them instead of demonizing them. That’s
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why we want to get involved, to show that men also
feel concerned by this problem. We believe that
gender equality starts with respect. Women need to
be considered equal to men in the mind of the
whole world population. This fight requires
education and awareness.” You can check out the
mobile app at: http://bit.ly/1diirLx
Istanbul, Turkey—Students at İzmir Gelişim College in
Turkey took their support to the next level, forming a
dedicated HeForShe committee at their Model
United Nations Conference. The group of dedicated
students had lively conversations about gender
equality and its role at the UN. We love to see
students taking up the HeForShe mantle!
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