WINNIE BYANYIMA
Executive Director, Oxfam International
Statement from Winnie Byanyima, Chair of the 67th United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) / Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO) Conference
I am honored to serve as Chair of the 67th United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI) / Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Conference titled “We the Peoples… Together Finding Global Solutions to Global Problems” to be held on 22 and 23 August 2018 at UN Headquarters in New York.
This annual event has a long history as a unique partnership between the UN and NGOs, and as an opportunity to strengthen that partnership. This year’s theme speaks to the heart of multilateralism, and sets out an urgent and important discussion for us in civil society and all those with whom we work. We face increasingly alarming and complex global challenges which require global solutions. It is now vital that we raise our voice.
This conference will be our platform to highlight the critical value of multilateralism, to reaffirm our faith in working together through a multilateral system and to advocate strongly for a just and rules-based global governance system – one that upholds human rights, secures peace in the world and enables sustainable development. Let us speak frankly and advance proposals about the areas that need reform.
I will work with you to ensure our gathering leaves a meaningful legacy, one built from our imagination, creativity and hope, and with the voices of women and young people at the fore. As we embark on the planning, I thank the many NGO volunteers, the NGO/DPI Executive Committee, and of course the UN’s Department of Public Information, for the spirit of collaboration and common purpose. Because of this I am energized and confident about what we can achieve.
I invite you all to for the conference! Please bring your ideas, energy and rich experiences. Let us foster lively and impactful conversations that keep everyone engaged, and focus on bold solutions to leave no one behind.
Winnie Byanyima's BIO
Winnie Byanyima is Executive Director of Oxfam International, a confederation of 20 organizations working in more than 90 countries empowering people to create a future that is secure, just and free from poverty. Ms. Byanyima is a global women’s rights leader, human rights defender and a global authority on economic inequality.
Born in Mbarara, Uganda, her activism was first inspired by the courageous women in her village and of her family. She continues to support women’s rights and social justice movements around the world.
Ms. Byanyima currently serves on the Gender Equality Advisory Council for Canada’s G7 Presidency in 2018, and the Global Commission on the Future of Work established by the International Labour Organization.
She is Chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Africa Regional Strategy Group, and has previously served as Co-Chair of the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos. She has recently served on the United Nations (UN) High-Level Panels on Access to Medicines and on Women’s Economic Empowerment. She serves on numerous public boards and global advisory bodies, including the World Bank’s Gender Advisory Board.
Prior to Oxfam, Ms Byanyima led the directorates on gender and development at the UN Development Programme and the African Union Commission. She served eleven years in the Ugandan Parliament. Ms. Byanyima led Uganda's first parliamentary women's caucus and co-founded Forum for Women in Democracy (FOWODE), a leading women’s rights organisation in Uganda.