United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Appointed for a Second Term

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, following consultations with Member States and the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), announced today the appointment of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa as Executive Director of UN-Women for a further term of four years.   

Before joining UN-Women, she worked with women and girls in different capacities in civil society and as a public representative, focusing on political and economic rights as well as girls’ education. Her experience includes promoting gender equality for women in both the private and the public sectors and involvements in her country's struggle against Apartheid. As World YWCA coordinator for young women’s programmes she has worked with young women all over the world.   Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was the first woman to hold the position of Deputy President of South Africa (2005-2008). She initially became a member of parliament (1994) chairing the Public Service Portfolio Committee. She was Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry (1996-1999), Minister of Minerals and Energy (1999-2005) and briefly served as acting Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2004). In all her portfolios, she was actively involved in policy and legislation that impacted positively on the lives of women and girls.

Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka holds a PhD on education and technology from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.

Distributed by APO on behalf of United Nations - Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General.