UN Women hopes $40 billion will accelerate gender equality

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The outgoing head of the U.N. women’s agency is hoping that in five years the $40 billion recently pledged to promote gender equality will lead to many more women in leadership positions, a reduction of violence against women, and the more than 40 million women who fell into extreme poverty because of the COVID-19 pandemic — and more — escaping the poverty trap. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in an interview before stepping down this week that the pledges at a Paris conference in July represent a historic and positive shift to broad-based investment in a wide range of women’s issues.