January 1 marked the first working day of UN Women, a UN agency created to promote gender equality and advance the rights of women. The UN General Assembly formed the agency through a resolution in July 2010.
UN Women’s goals include fostering women’s equality, reducing violence against women, and empowering and providing greater opportunities for women worldwide. The agency will partner with UN Member States to develop and implement standards for gender equality.
Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women and the former President of Chile, stated, “This is a time of great promise. We have a historic opportunity to accelerate the achievement of what champions of gender equality have worked towards for years.”
