WUNRN
UN News Centre
MICHELLE BACHELET TO STEP DOWN AS
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UN WOMEN
15
March 2013 – Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon today said that Michelle Bachelet had informed him of her intention
to step down as head of the United Nations entity mandated to promote gender
equality.
The Secretary-General expressed
his “tremendous gratitude for her outstanding service” as the Executive
Director of UN
Women, an entity created in 2010 to oversee the Organization's
programmes aimed at promoting women's rights and full participation in global
affairs.
“Michelle Bachelet was the right
person in the right job at the right time,” Mr. Ban said in a statement.
“Her visionary leadership gave
UN Women the dynamic start it needed. Her fearlessness in advocating for
women's rights raised the global profile of this key issue. Her drive and compassion
enabled her to mobilize and make a difference for millions of people across the
world.”
Mr. Ban said Ms. Bachelet's
achievements include new steps to protect women and girls from violence, new
advances on health, and a new understanding that women's empowerment must be at
the core of what the United Nations does.
“This is a stellar legacy, and I
am determined to build on it,” he noted.
Earlier in the evening, Ms.
Bachelet had spoken to the closing session of the Commission on the Status of Women where
more than 130 Member States agreed on a document to prevent and eliminate all
forms of violence against women and girls.
International media reported her
saying this would be her last Commission and that she planned to return to