During the global annual advocacy campaign, 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November – 10 December), UN Women today announced the appointment of internationally renowned award-winning actor-playwright Danai Gurira as its Goodwill Ambassador. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Gurira will lend her name and dedicate her support to putting a spotlight on gender equality and women’s rights, as well as bringing unheard women’s voices front and centre.

Bridgetown, Barbados - While Dominica, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago are among the countries in the Caribbean and Americas region where women ministers are nearing or exceeding the gender parity position of 30 per cent of representatives, the number of women in executive government and in parliament worldwide has stagnated.

UN Women today announced the appointment of American award-winning actor Anne Hathaway as global Goodwill Ambassador. A long-standing supporter of women’s and girls’ rights, Ms. Hathaway will put the spotlight on the issue of the unequal burden of care work in the home as one of the key barriers to gender equality, working internationally to advance the adoption and implementation of policies that will bring measurable change. These include affordable childcare services and shared parental leave at both government and corporate levels.

UN Women launched its flagship report “Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016: Transforming Economies, Realizing Rights” which highlights how economies have failed to guarantee women's empowerment and the full exercise of their economic and social rights, in rich countries and poor countries.