Zonta International

Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a worldwide service organization of executives in business and the professions working to advance the status of women.  There are about 33,000 members in more than 1,254 clubs in 67 countries.

Zonta has a long-standing relationship with the United Nations, including a special partnership with the U.N. Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Like Zonta, UNIFEM recognizes the importance of focusing attention on the activities and roles of women, which are critical to sustainable development around the world.

Zonta also encourages young women to pursue non-traditional careers. For example, the Zonta International Foundation Amelia Earhart Fellowship Award - a scholarship for women in aviation - was established in 1938 to honor the famed aviation pioneer, who was a Zontian.

The word "Zonta" is derived from the Sioux Indian words meaning "honest and trustworthy."

Letter about UNIFEM from Zonta International:

6 July 2010

 

Dear Zontians,

On Friday 2 July, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously decided to establish UN Women, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. 

For those of you who were able to attend the Zonta International Convention in San Antonio, you heard firsthand from Keynote Speaker Carolyn Hannan, former Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women at the United Nations, how critical it is to combine the efforts of the four UN organizations working on gender issues –  United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women (OSAGI) and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW). The creation of a single entity with adequate resources will focus and enhance efforts to promote and advance the rights of women and girls around the world.

This announcement is an historic one, and I wanted to share this news with all of you. Inés Alberdi, Executive Director of UNIFEM, has issued a statement which I encourage you all to read. Read the complete statement in English, French and Spanish.

 

Dianne K. Curtis

Zonta International President

Zonta International Foundation President

 

About Zonta International

  • Founded in 1919
  • More than 31,000 members
  • Over 1,200 Zonta Clubs in 65 countries

Zonta International website:  www.zonta.org