Late Mbuya Dizha's homestead (Murewa, Zimbabwe)

The United Nations  General Assembly on Friday, July 2,2010 unanimously approved the establishment of a single UN

body to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. This is a “historic decision” as stated by Dr Asha Rose Migiro, the UN Deputy Secretary General who played a lead and pivotal role in the last 2 years.

Rozaria Memorial Trust joins the women and girls of the world in celebration. We strongly recommend that the new UN Women will deliver in our communities. During the Beijing plus 15 review, it was clear that women are seeking urgent implementation of the existing commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment. The commitment to engagement with civil society is welcome and should include empowering, enabling and partnering with community groups and networks.

Now that the Entity is here, we strongly support the call for an open, transparent and competitive recruitment and appointment of the Under Secretary General, who will provide the lead to this entity. The GEAR Campaign criteria provides a the necessary combination of skills, experience, reach and capacity to combine the normative and the operational mandates.

“Above all, qualified candidates must have a vision for and demonstrated commitment to meeting gender equality goals and securing women’s human rights, and meet the following criteria:

• Experience in and passion for working on gender equality and women’s empowerment/human rights, with a demonstrated interest in engaging with civil society, and particularly women’s organizations;

• Thorough understanding of the needs and interests of women at the local grassroots, both in the Global South and North, with a successful track record of concrete impact in the field;

• Demonstrated and recognized leadership and integrity, including:
  • Collaborative working style and ability to build positive relationships with a wide range of partners;
  • Visible record of public advocacy for gender equality and women’s human rights and empowerment; and
  • Readiness to be outspoken and independent in fulfilling the entity’s mandates
• Track record in fundraising and proven skills in the management of complex organizations and developing strategy accordingly in a creative and effective manner

• Be politically astute and able to engage effectively with a wide range of key actors in international negotiations.

For now, we continue to join in the celebrations!