Noeleen Heyzer Quotations

She's a very profound actress and artist, and I was very, very touched by her commitment to make sure she used her gifts for women everywhere in the world.

It is not acceptable for women to constitute 70 percent of the world's 1.3 billion poor. Nor is it acceptable for women to work two-thirds of the world's working hours, but earn only one-tenth of the world's income and own less than one-tenth of the worl's property. Many fundamental changes must be made.

UNIFEM is proud to have supported the Ministry of Gender and Development, and women's organizing throughout Liberia to reach this truly historic achievement.

Today, we call for a global coalition of women economic decision-makers committed to making change happen in the lives of ordinary women and men on the ground. It is important to act now.

Increasingly, the battlefields are fought on women's backs, and it is done not just to humiliate them, but to humiliate their men, too.

I have to say that today many women celebrate this event and welcome you as a sister, a sister of commitment. I've been receiving messages from all parts of the world to say that this is a special day to them as well.

Peace is the absence of war, but beyond that peace is a commodity unlike any other. Peace is security. Peace is a mindset. Peace is a way of living. Peace is the capacity to transcend past hurts - to break cycles of violence and forge new pathways that say, I would like to make sure we live as a community where there is justice, security, and development for all members. At the end of the day, peace is an investment; it is something you create by investing in a way of life and monitoring where your resources go.

The designation of a goodwill ambassador is reserved for exceptional individuals who are committed to using their visibility for positive change. We are honored to have Nicole join the UNIFEM family.