Anne Hathaway appointed as UN women's goodwill ambassador
Anne Hathaway
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.
Following her role in Les Miserables, Hathaway 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.
UN’s executive director for women’s causes, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, 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.
