GWL Voices at UNGA 80: A Call for Equality, Leadership, and Multilateral Renewal

As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary and the world commemorates 30 years since the Beijing Platform for Action, GWL Voices will be at the center of the conversation. GWL Voices board and members are calling for The 7 Must-Haves for a Stronger UN at 80.

They will also be participating in a series of high-level events to spotlight women’s leadership, gender equality, and the urgent need for reform in multilateralism. Furthermore, GWL Voices will be hosting a Climate Week NYC event. Below is a selection of our key events during UNGA 80:

1. Women Pioneering Global Leadership

GWL Voices founders Ms. Irina Bokova, Ms.Helen Clark, and Ms. Susana Malcorra, will have a conversation on women’s leadership and representation in the international system, with particular emphasis on the upcoming selection of the UN Secretary General. This panel will be moderated by Mr. Raj Kumar, DEVEX founding president and editor-in-chief.

• Date: September 22
• Time: 11:00 - 11:30
• Place: SDG Media Zone UNHQ

2. Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa chats with Devex on "Investing through headwinds: Building partnerships to keep climate action alive"

GWL Voices Executive Director, Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa will be having a conversation with Mr. Bill Lenihan, Founder and CEO, ZOLA Electric; and Ms. Nancy Pfund, Founder, DBL Partners on the importante to building partnerships to keep climate action alive. This conversation is hosted by Devex and it will be moderated by Ms. Jesse Chase-Lubitz, Climate Reporter at Devex.

• Date: September 23
• Time: 2:20 - 2:50 pm
• Place: Devex Impact House

3. Ms. Susana Malcorra chats with Devex on "The State of the SDGs: Progress, Politics, and the Path Ahead”

GWL Voices President and co-founder, Ms. Susana Malcorra will be having a conversation with Mr. Navid Hanif, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development on the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals, the politics involved in it and the path ahead. This conversation is hosted by Devex and it will be moderated by Mr. Colum Lynch, Senior Global Reporter at Devex.

• Date: September 23
• Time: 4:45 - 5:05 pm
• Place: Devex Impact House

4. What Will It Take to Elect a Madam Secretary General?

This high-level dialogue will gather the three GWL Voices founders Ms. Irina Bokova, Ms. Helen Clark, and Ms. Susana Malcorra, with the moderation of Mr. Richard Gowan, Crisis Group Director. The objective of this conversation is to spotlight the systemic underrepresentation of women at the highest levels of the UN and to advocate for a woman to lead as the next Secretary-General.

• Date: September 24
• Time: 4:00 - 5:30 pm
• Place: Ford Foundation

5. Beijing+30: A Gender Equality Roadmap for the Next 30 Years

GWL Voices President and co-founder, Susana Malcorra, along GWL Voices co-founder and board member, Irina Bokova, will have a discussion moderated by Rachel Vogelstein, Associate Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia SIPA and IGP Women's Initiative Director on the key policy priorities for advancing gender equality 30 years after Beijing.

This roundtable will highlight insights from GWL Voices and IGP Women's Initiative report "Beijing+30: A Gender Equality Roadmap for the Next 30 Years", which outlines policy priorities critical to advancing gender equality in the 21st century—including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic opportunity, and conflict and climate—and identifies key levers to accelerate the pace of change.

• Date: September 25
• Time: 10:00 - 11:00 am
• Place: Columbia University

6. The road to Environmental Justice: Financing gender equality and women’s rights

This official side-event of Climate Week NYC is a high-level dialogue hosted by GWL Voices and Women Deliver, with Plataforma CIPÓ and Bahá'í International Community will explore how gender-responsive finance can drive climate justice and women’s rights, with GWL Voices members joining leaders from across sectors.

This event will have among its panelists to GWL Voices members Ms. Mary Robinson, Ms. Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, and Ms. Melanne Verveer; along with Dr. Maliha Khan, Ms. Maiara Folly, Ms. Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, and Mr. Daniel Perrell. This event will be moderated by Ms. María Fernanda Espinosa, Executive Director of GWL Voices, and former President of the UN General Assembly (2018–2019).

• Date: September 25
• Time: 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
• Place: Climate Week NYC, Nuveen Headquarters

7. Her Turn at The New School: Women in Multilateralism and the Path from Beijing+30

An interactive session between GWL Voices Ms. Carol Bellamy, Ms. Irina Bokova, Ms. Epsy Campbell, Ms. Tarja Halonen, and GWL Voices President Ms. Susana Malcorra, with The New School students. This panel will be introduced by International Affairs Associate Professor, Peter J. Hoffman. An event designed to connect young leaders with women who have shaped global governance and provide their vision of Beijing and the next 30 years.

• Date: September 25
• Time: 4:00 – 5:15 pm
• Place: The New School University

8. The Future We Agreed: One Year of the Pact

Sustaining Momentum and Ambition at UN80 will gather governments, UN leaders, and civil society to reflect on the first year of implementing the Pact for the Future and its annexes. Co-hosted by GWL Voices, United Nations Foundation, C4UN We Need and partners, the discussion will address progress and gaps on intergenerational justice, digital governance, financing, inclusivity, and accountability, while spotlighting leadership and civil society perspectives to ensure the Pact’s commitments translate into meaningful outcomes by 2030 and beyond.

• Date: September 26
• Time: 08:30 – 11:00 am
• Place: Ford Foundation, Cáceres Room

This event is hybrid and by invitation only.

Follow our journey at #GWLVoicesatUNGA80 and download our latest publications to learn more about our work to advance women’s leadership and equality in multilateralism.