The WHO, WHAT, and WHERE of the HeForShe movement.

by Haley K. Hemphill

***The individual people, organizations, and universities listed below are large contributors to the HeForShe campaign, but there is not nearly enough room on this blog post to name all of those who are making an impact in the advocacy for gender equality. I recognize and thank all unnamed bodies involved in pursuing an equal opportunity world. ***

Who is involved?

Pictured from left to right: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngucka; President of UN General Assembly Sam Kahamba Kutesa; UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson; UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; Madam Yoo (Ban) Soon-taek; and actor Kiefer Sutherland. Photo: UN Women/Simon Luethi

• United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
• Ban Ki-moon: UN Secretary General
• Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka: Under-Secretary General of UN, UN Women Executive Director
• Emma Watson: UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, actress, and feminist activist
• Other Celebrities: Kiefer Sutherland; Trevor Noah; Anupam Kher, Indian Actor; Anne Hathaway; Wolf Blitzer; Felicia Day
• Politicians: President Barack Obama; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden

Universities: University of Waterloo, Ontario; Georgetown, US; Nagoya University, Japan

What do they do?

• UN Women are partners and advocates from all walks of life that work to develop an environment in which every girl and woman can exercise her human rights and live up to her full potential.

• Ban Ki-moon is not only the man who appointed Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, but he is a huge supporter of the HeForShe movement, even being deemed the “number one man” who launched the HeForShe website’s map, which uses a geo-locator to map out all commitment pledges that boys and men around the world have vowed.
• Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is the leader and acting Executive Director of UN Women. She is the head of the movement and was vital in its launch and progress.
• Emma Watson is not only a world famous actress,  but a well respected feminist and advocate for women. She currently holds the title of United Nations Women Goodwill Ambassador who launched the HeForShe campaign on September 20, 2014 at the UN conference in New York. 

                Watch Emma Watson’s UN HeForShe launch speech here:

• Universities around the world are responsible for bringing the campaign into their schools and implementing and promoting gender-equal opportunities in their organizations.

Where are they located?

• Globally, boys, girls, men, and women are pledging and standing up for equality regardless of gender.

Click here to view the HeForShe Map that tracks the impact of the solidarity movement around the world:

• The US is one of the leading countries fighting for equality and providing well-known political and celebrity advocates for the solidarity movement.

• The United States is where the HeForShe campaign was launched.
• Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka travels to many different countries to give speeches. She often visits her home continent, Africa and just recently visited Central African Republic and Sweden before International Women’s Day to address more problems dealing with women’s rights. 
• Emma Watson, the face of the movement, grew up in the United Kingdom, and took a break from Brown University here in the United States to go to Worcester University in Oxford, England for a year, advocating for equality wherever she goes.

I greatly encourage everyone to visit the HeForShe website below to learn more about the worldwide movement and the people who are dedicating their lives to make our world gender-equal.

Sources:

1. The entire HeForShe website: http://www.heforshe.org/
2. “Star-studded Event Kicks off UN Women Global Gender Solidarity Campaign.” UN News Center. United Nations, 20 Sept. 2014. Web. 5 Mar. 2017.
3. “About Us.” UN Women. UN Women. We. 6 Mar. 2017
4. Petroff, A. The United Nations-backed Campaign Went Viral Last Year on Twitter. “#HeForShe Campaign Goes Corporate.” CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 24 Jan. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2017.