Secretary-General Appoints Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka of South Africa Executive Director, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality

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, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka worked with women and girls in different capacities within civil society and as a public representative, focusing on political and economic rights, as well as girls’ education.  Her experience includes promoting gender equality in both the private and public sectors, as well as women’s involvement 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 joined Parliament in 1994, chairing the Public Service Portfolio Committee.  She was Deputy Minister in the Department of Trade and Industry (1996-1999) and Minister for Minerals and Energy (1999-2005), also acting briefly as Minister for Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (2004).  In all her portfolios, Ms. Mlambo-Ngcuka was actively involved in policy and legislation that impacted positively on the lives of women and girls.

She holds a PhD in Education and Technology from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

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*     This supersedes Press Release SG/A/1423-BIO/4491-WOM/1961 of 10 July 2013.