Actress Anne Hathaway Appointed as UN’s Goodwill Ambassador for Women

  Actress Anne Hathaway was appointed goodwill ambassador for women by the UN to spotlight the unequal distribution of work in the home as an obstacle to gender equality, the UN said on Thursday.

  Hathaway, who won an Oscar for her role in Les Miserables and is known for movies such as The Devil Wears Prada and Interstellar will work with the UN agency promoting women’s empowerment to help them achieve equality in the workplace and at home.

  “I feel honoured and inspired by this opportunity to aid in advancing gender equality. Significant progress has already been made but it is time that we collectively intensify our efforts and ensure that true equality is finally realised,” Hathaway said.

  Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the UN’s executive director for women’s causes, welcomed the appointment noting that the agency was currently focusing on creating and fostering practical arrangements that could help women in their workplace, such as childcare and parental leave.

  “To make the case for how this will increase opportunities for women we needed an advocate who had the intellect and passion to tackle this complex issue. Within moments of meeting Anne I realised that we had found our woman,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

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