Media statement: the Nelson Mandela Foundation welcomes the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina J Mohammed
Date: 24 November 2017
From: Nelson Mandela Foundation
The Chairman and Chief Executive of the Nelson Mandela Foundation today welcomed the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ms Amina J Mohammed, to the Foundation. Due to deliver the 15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Cape Town tomorrow, Ms Mohammed was given a guided tour and engaged with media.
She indicated that she was deeply honoured to have received the invitation. “It’s great to be in South Africa,” she said, “and special to be giving the lecture on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.” Asked about the theme for the lecture, “Centering Gender: Reducing Inequality through Inclusion”, Ms Mohammed reflected on the challenge posed by what she called an epidemic: “We have to keep fighting the good fight.”
Pressed to identify the most effective strategy for combatting gender-based violence, Ms Mohammed argued that there could be no blueprint. “Every community, every society, needs to look inwards.” She went on to stress the important role young people will have to play: “They are accelerators for change.”
Ms Mohammed’s lecture, together with her participation in a community-based dialogue in Khayelitsha the next day, will contribute to the Nelson Mandela Foundation’s continuing work in the intersections of gender, race, class, poverty and inequality.
ENDS
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