Leading in the Community

Lynn McKenzieZonta International President

Wellington, New Zealand

Zonta International is Global organization of executives and professionals improving the lives of women and girls through global and local service and advocacy

• 66 countries• 1,200 Zonta club• 30,000+ members• Business & professions• Nearly 100 years old

Zonta’s Objectives

Make this world a better place for women & girls through service & advocacy

Gender Matters

“Investing in women is the right and possibly the smartest thing to do”

Ban Kee MoonSecretary General, UN

Gender MattersWorld Bank 2012 report that:• Healthier, better educated mothers have healthier better

education children – future productivity• Income in hands of women positively affects children’s health• Education is really important – linked to growth• Violence against women extreme loss of freedom and

contribution

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment

For gender equality to become a reality, women’s voices must be heard.

We must work together to achieve this – BPW, Zonta & others

Zonta supports and advocates for adherence to international agreements and agendas to uphold and enhance women’s rights including:

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights• Commission on the Status of Women• Beijing Declaration & Platform for Action• Millennium Development Goals• CEDAW

Zonta has General Consultative Status with UN’s ECOSOC & participatory status with the Council of Europe.

Believe and Make it Happen

2011 Nobel Peace Winner

Believe and Make it Happen

Amelia Earhart

"Please know I am quite aware of the hazards," she said. "I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others."

Is she:• Loved, happy, healthy, safe, fed, • What sort of world do you want her to live in?• What role are you playing in her journey?

Think of a baby girl born this year

What is she doing now?Is she:• Loved, happy, healthy, safe, fed, at school?• What does she want to be when she grows up?• What role are you playing in her journey

She is now 6yrs – its 2020

What is she doing now?Is she:• Loved, healthy, safe, fed, at university, married with

children?• What does she want to be?• What sort of world does she want to live in?

She is now 20yrs – its 2034

Is it:• Government?• Private sector?• Public sector?• Community and family?

Who has the greatest influence on that little baby girl as she grows?

WOULD it be different?HOW would it be different andWHY would it be different?Is it okay to be different?Gender equality?

Would it be different if it was a baby boy?

Leading in CommunityEmpowering women • See ourselves as “life size” • Promote women in decision

making- government, private and community sectors

• Vote – register and vote at national and local elections

• AGMs – shareholders - ask questions- women on boards and senior leaders• CEDAW country report

Zonta invested US$26 + million to support projects and programs to improve women’s lives around the globe.

These programs provide a “hand up”, not a “handout”.

Zonta – empowering women

An Amelia Earhart scholar studying meteorites in Antarctica

Zonta empowering womenEmpowering women in developing countries • Elimination of obstetric fistula in Liberia – prevent, treat,

rehabilitate by providing income generation skills• Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and gender-

based violence in Rwanda• Prevention of violence against women in Bangladesh, Nigeria

Honduras, Samoa & 9 additional countries in Africa and Asia• Safe cities for women in Honduras

Edutainment project to address VAW in Benin, Nigeria

Zonta - locallyEmpowering women & girls in our local communities to improve their lives and, in turn, their families’ lives and the communities in which they live and work

Zonta-empowering women through education

Empowering women through education –US$1.1M in 2012-14• Amelia Earhart Fellowship • pursuing a Ph.D. in aerospace-related sciences or engineering

• Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship • pursuing an undergraduate or master’s degree in a business-

related field• Young Women in Public Affairs Award • young women who demonstrate exceptional leadership skills and

a commitment to public service and civic causes

Violence against Women (VAW)

Globally, 1 in 3 women will experience violence in their lifetimes.

In 2012, Zonta International launched Zonta Says NO, a global advocacy campaign to raise awareness of and say NO to violence against women and girls in all its forms.

60% of Zonta’s more than 1,200 clubs worldwide participated, and the momentum continues.

VAW social and economic impact- happens everywhere, our own backyard

Believe and Make it Happen