UN launches new agency to empower women

UNITED NATIONS. February 25. KAZINFORM In a packed General Assembly hall, the public repeatedly chanted "Women's rights are human rights" to officially launch UN Women, the newest UN organ fabricated to advocate gender equality and the empowerment of women; Kazinform refers to China Daily.

"UN women will offer new dynamic to the global dialogue on gender equality," the head of UN Women and former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, said during the official opening ceremony held here on Thursday evening.

"There's no limit to what women can do," Bachelet, who was greeted with loud cheers, noted.

UN Women - formally known as the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - was established in July 2010 by the UN General Assembly, merging four previous UN bodies dealing with women's issues.

Taking place only few days before the 100th anniversary of the International Women's Day - marked on March 8 every year, setting up UN women is "the best thing we could do to revitalize the General Assembly," Joseph Deiss, who is the president of the General Assembly, said.

"It is an example of UN reform for greater efficiency that could be followed in many other areas," Deiss said.

The launch of the women empowerment agency is taking place during the 55th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to gender equality and the advancement of women.

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