PR91736

SEATTLE, Sept. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

-- Foundation also recognizes three additional Goalkeepers Global Goals award

winners who are taking action to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development

Goals

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka,

former United Nations under-secretary-general and executive director of UN

Women, as the winner of the 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award. As part of its annual

Goalkeepers campaign (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=1168910361&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gatesfoundation.org%2Fgoalkeepers%2F&a=annual+Goalkeepers+campaign), the foundation also announced the winners of three additional Goalkeepers

Global Goals Awards.

"By shining a light on the pandemic's disproportionate impact on women and

girls, former Under-Secretary-General Mlambo-Ngcuka has ensured that global and

local efforts to battle COVID-19 must take into account the acute disparities

they face," said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation. "She exemplifies the leadership we need in the fight for gender

equality around the world."

The 2021 Global Goalkeeper Award recognizes a leader who has driven progress on

a global scale toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

(https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=2702049568&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsdgs.un.org%2Fgoals&a=Sustainable+Development+Goals). This year's award is being presented to Mlambo-Ngcuka for her unwavering

global leadership on gender equality and continued advocacy to address the

pandemic's disproportionate impact on women and girls. Mlambo-Ngcuka, a former

deputy president of South Africa, has dedicated her life to advancing social

justice and working with civil society organizations. During her tenure as

executive director of UN Women, she led work to strengthen and expand

partnerships with government, male allies, and the media, all in service of

advancing SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women

and girls. Mlambo-Ngcuka played a vital role in helping to spearhead and

deliver the Generation Equality Forum (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=3909967274&u=https%3A%2F%2Fforum.generationequality.org%2Fhome&a=Generation+Equality+Forum) in July 2021, which helped mobilize more than $40 billion in commitments from

member states, the private sector, philanthropies, and civil society to drive

transformative change for women and girls around the world.  

This year's three additional Goalkeepers Global Goals awards were given to

Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh, Jenifer Colpas of Colombia, and Satta

Sheriff of Liberia. Each awardee was recognized for their work supporting the

Global Goals in their local communities.

The 2021 Changemaker Award, which celebrates an individual who has inspired

change using personal experience or from a position of leadership, recognizes

Fairooz Faizah Beether of Bangladesh for her work promoting good health and

well-being (SDG 3) (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=3489572305&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.un.org%2Fsustainabledevelopment%2Fhealth%2F&a=SDG+3). Beether is the co-founder of the Moner School (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=2670299306&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fcompany%2Fmoner-school%2F&a=Moner+School), an online platform that aims to raise awareness around mental health and ensure equal access to mental health care across the country.

The 2021 Progress Award, which celebrates an individual who supports progress

via a science, technology, digital, or business initiative, recognizes Jenifer

Colpas of Colombia for her work to improve access to clean water and sanitation

(SDG 6) (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=2854679979&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsdgs.un.org%2Fgoals%2Fgoal6&a=SDG+6).

Colpas is the co-founder and executive director of Tierra Grata (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=2706689987&u=https%3A%2F%2Ftierragrata.org%2Fen%2Fhome&a=Tierra+Grata),

a social enterprise that develops low-cost, easy-to-install solutions

providing access to clean energy, safe water, and sanitation services to rural

communities in Colombia.

The 2021 Campaign Award, which celebrates a campaign that has raised awareness

or built a community by inspiring action and creating change, recognizes Satta

Sheriff of Liberia for her work to promote gender equality (SDG 5) (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=910496244&u=https%3A%2F%2Fsdgs.un.org%2Fgoals%2Fgoal5&a=SDG+5).

Sheriff is the founder and executive director of Action for Justice and

Human Rights (AJHR) (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=1512333899&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.action4humanrights.org%2F&a=Action+for+Justice+and+Human+Rights), a youth-led NGO founded to advocate and ensure access to justice and respect

for human rights in Liberia, focusing particularly on helping women and girls.

"Disparities everywhere continue to worsen due to the impacts of COVID-19,"

said Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "This year,

we are especially honored to recognize four leaders whose work demonstrates

that progress is possible, even in the most difficult of times."

"These award winners show how women are leading the way in coming up with the

innovative solutions needed to rebuild our communities and nations," said Mark

Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. "This year's winners

continue to inspire us as they work tirelessly to create a more equal,

resilient, and compassionate world."

The announcement of the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards winners follows last

week's release of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's fifth annual

Goalkeepers Report (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=1145042496&u=https%3A%2F%2Fnam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com%2F%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.gatesfoundation.org%252Fgoalkeepers%252Freport%252F2021-report%252F%26data%3D04%257C01%257Canna.casparius%2540gatesfoundation.org%257Cd53e60ab5e734d449ced08d96d8cdfcc%257C296b38384bd5496cbd4bf456ea743b74%257C0%257C0%257C637661274075514900%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C1000%26sdata%3D0ZUS1GE1sk9HjuzIMaZOB9VjaNnwLNXrUjqUHgovUCs%253D%26reserved%3D0&a=Goalkeepers+Report).

This year's report, co-authored by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates,

shows that disparities caused by COVID-19 remain stark, and those who have been

hardest hit by the pandemic will be the slowest to recover. Fortunately, amidst

the challenges of the past year, the world stepped up to avert some of the

worst-case scenarios. In the report, the co-chairs highlight the "breathtaking

innovation" that was only possible because of global collaboration, commitment,

and investments over decades. They acknowledge that averting the worst-case

scenarios is commendable, yet they note it's not enough. To ensure a truly

equitable recovery from the pandemic, they call for long-term investments in

health and economies—like the ones that led to the rapid development of the

COVID-19 vaccine—to propel recovery efforts and get the world back on track to

meet the Global Goals.

Biographies, images, and a film of the Goalkeepers Global Goals award winners

can be downloaded at: www.gatesfoundation.org/goalkeepers/about-event/awards  

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates

Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In

developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and giving them

the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United

States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest

resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and

life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Mark Suzman,

under the direction of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates.

About Goalkeepers

Goalkeepers (https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=3292668-1&h=1745673630&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gatesfoundation.org%2Fgoalkeepers%2F&a=Goalkeepers) is the foundation's campaign to accelerate progress towards the Sustainable

Development Goals (Global Goals). By sharing stories and data behind the Global

Goals through an annual report, we hope to inspire a new generation of

leaders—Goalkeepers who raise awareness of progress, hold their leaders

accountable, and drive action to achieve the Global Goals.

About the Global Goals

On September 25, 2015, at the United Nations headquarters in New York, 193

world leaders committed to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

These are a series of ambitious objectives and targets to achieve three

extraordinary things by 2030: end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and

fix climate change.

Project Everyone, co-creators of Goalkeepers, was founded by writer, director,

and SDG Advocate Richard Curtis with the ambition to help achieve the Global

Goals through raising awareness, holding leaders accountable, and driving

action. Find out more at www.project-everyone.org.

Media Contact: media@gatesfoundation.org

SOURCE: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation