Women’s Empowerment for Latin America

15 May 2020 – As part of the Doha Declaration Education for Justice initiative, UNODC and the Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens have announced that they will soon begin implementation of a new Women’s Empowerment Programme (WEP) catering to young females from Latin America. The WEP, made possible thanks to generous support from the State of Qatar, will transform education policy into action in order to promote justice, the rule of law and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

During a virtual exchange held this week between the three entities, Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens CEO Monika Froehler presented some of the details of this future collaboration. The Programme will focus on training and equipping 20 young women from Latin American countries with the skill-set to act as SDG leaders within their fields of work. While all of the 17 SDGs provide the framework for the WEP, its focus will be on SDGs 4,5,16 and 17. It will start with a period of online learning, followed by a two-week in-person training in Vienna and will conclude with the implementation of SGD Micro-projects by the participants in their local contexts.

UNODC’s Director of Treaty Affairs, John Brandolino, meanwhile highlighted the importance of partnerships in empowering women and youth to thrive as global citizens. He further noted how the BKMC programmes on leadership, mediation, advocacy and education make it an ideal partner for the Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration. This was echoed by Marco Teixeira, head of the Global Programme: “We’re being presented with a powerful partnership to influence the next generation of leaders. By joining forces, it offers us a strong opportunity to help in the exchange of experience and expertise and equip future women leaders to act for the rule of law.”

Former Austrian President and Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens Co-chair Heinz Fischer as well as Ambassador Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the UN in Vienna, also showed their dedication to this innovative Programme, adding key remarks to the forthcoming initiative during the virtual meeting. “We are encouraged to see the joining of forces for this tailor-made Women Empowerment Programme,” noted Dr. Fischer. “Especially in challenging times like these, it becomes evident how necessary it is to continue our work to strengthen multilateralism, justice, rule of law and build partnerships that contribute to achieving the SDGs.”

Additional information
Ban Ki-moon Centre for Global Citizens
Education for Justice initiative