MUTHARIKA NOW HEFORSHE GLOBAL CHAMPION CAMPAIGNER

President Professor Peter Mutharika’s commitment in advancing promotion and support of women empowerment and gender equality continues to get global recognition, the present manifestation being his appointment as a Global Champion for the HeforShe campaign under the IMPACT 10X10X10 Initiative.

The appointment means the President, who is already the champion of the HeforShe campaign in Malawi, will double the positions following the official announcement of his global appointment on 18th June, this year.

“Following the declaration of commitment made by His Excellency Prof. Peter Arthur Mutharika in February 2015 to champion HeforShe and to support the advancement of gender equality in Malawi, UN Women has further appointed to be a global champion for the HeforShe under the IMPACT 10X10X10 initiative,” reads in part a UN press statement on the appointment.

He has been appointed along with nine other Heads of States who also displayed substantial commitment in advancing gender equality globally.

“The initiative was launched as a one-year pilot effort to engage 10 governments, 10 corporations and 10 universities as instruments of change and it targets some of the communities that most need to address women’s empowerment and gender equality concerns and those that have the greatest capacity to make and influence those changes,” reads the statement.

It also indicates that state of heads champions will demonstrate their commitment to women and girls through the active voice of their leadership, and the development and implementation of a concrete, scalable action plan focused on dramatically accelerating the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“HeforShe IMPACT 10x10x10 Head of State Champions have a high reputation for strong ethical practices and equitable gender policies; demonstrate global excellence in their public service; offer global network that they are prepared to bring to the campaign; and commit their expertise and other resources to help UN Women end gender inequality,” adds the statement.

The statement says the UN Women launched the HeforShe IMPACT 10X10X10 initiative at the 2015 World Economic Forum in Davos on January 23, 2015, with the aim of trying to gain further momentum in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The other appointed heads of states are from Finland, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Japan, Romania, Rwanda and Sweden among others.

The global campaign was launched in September 2014 and In Malawi, the campaign was officially launched by His Excellency Professor Arthur Peter Mutharika on February 25th 2015.

HeforShe initiative is a solidarity movement for gender equality that engages men and boys as advocates and stakeholders to break the silence, raise their voices and take action for the achievement of gender equality.mana