Today – was a truly incredible day. 

This morning, I accompanied Minister Ellis to meet with Michelle Bachelet which was both a privilege and an honour.  Ms Bachelet has a close affinity to Australia, having spent many months in Sydney after being exiled from Chile.  Congratulating Minister Ellis on the announcement of the National Action Plan on violence against women, Ms Bachelet urged the Australian Government to continue to support initiatives throughout our region aimed and reducing violence and violence supporting attitudes.  Ms Bachelet’s vision for UN Women, belief that change is possible and genuine commitment to working with Member States of the UN to make significant inroads was very evident from this meeting.

We spent the afternoon at the National Committee’s meeting – where 16 out of the 18 National Committees were present  for the first meeting under the name of UN Women.  We were excited that Ms Bachelet attended the meeting, and seemed committed to attending the next meeting in Australia in September.  National Committees remain a central part of UN Women’s strategy to engage Member States and civil society groups.  We were excited about the potential for growth and development and are looking forward to working with the staff at UN Women to progress some of the ideas raised.  We also look forward to being significant contributors to the formation of UN Women’s strategic plan over the coming months.

Tonight was the global launch of UN Women.  With the Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, Executive Director of UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, HRH Princess of Spain, Geena Davis, Nicole Kidman and even Shakira on the speaking list – it is not hard to imagine what an amazing event this was.  Sitting in the General Assembly was an incredible experience.

One of the many quotes which resonated with me most strongly was “equal opportunity is not a gift, it is a right we have long since earned”.  The clear message from tonight – from the UN, the Member States, the Private Sector and the NGOs – was the time is now.  From tonight, the world unites behind UN Women for gender equality.