Office of the President
Office of the President

HeForShe Campaign

From 2016 through 2020, Georgetown University proudly served as a founding champion for the HeForShe Campaign, the UN Women Solidarity Movement for Gender Equality.  Our extraordinary students, faculty and staff made growing contributions to building a safe and respectful community for all, strengthening our culture as a place where women thrive, and advancing the role of women globally. 

HeForShe was developed by UN Women to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights. The campaign encourages them to speak out and take action against inequalities faced by women and girls.

Then-president John J. DeGioia represented Georgetown as a HeForShe “University Impact Champion.” As an Impact Champion, he joined heads of state from around the globe, corporate leaders in a range of industries, and other university presidents worldwide in pledging to lead in the fight for gender equality.

HeForShe at Georgetown

Georgetown University’s Impact Commitments

Georgetown University made three commitments in support of the HeForShe mission:

  1. Work with UN Women to advance the role of women globally through the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security
  2. Strengthen Georgetown’s commitment to a respectful, safe campus for all community members
  3. Use the Georgetown Women’s Alliance to create a culture where women thrive

These commitments — enacted through the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), Georgetown Women’s Alliance (GWA) and the Office of the VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion & Chief Diversity Officer — sought to empower women across the Georgetown community, our nation, and our globe.

Campaign Launch

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and the Executive Director of UN Women, led a conversation on the global priorities of UN Women.

February 23, 2016

A large group of men and women pose for the camera on a stage with a backdrop of Georgetown University and HeForShe banners.

HeForShe Partners Discuss Gender Equity

Georgetown University hosted a Japanese delegation of students, faculty and staff from Nagoya University for a conversation on women’s leadership and gender equality and justice globally. Georgetown and Nagoya are two of ten universities selected by the United Nations to lead its HeForShe campaign, an international movement that encourages men and boys to advocate for gender equality.

The Nagoya delegation was welcomed to Georgetown by Rosemary Kilkenny, the university’s Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity, and Nobuko Sasae, the wife of Kenichiro Sasae, Japanese Ambassador to the United States. A panel of Georgetown scholars and leaders from across campus spoke about the university’s efforts to promote global gender justice, including the work of Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the Women’s Center, the Georgetown Women’s Alliance, and our academic work.

“Welcoming the delegation from Nagoya University allows us the opportunity to share our work and to recognize the similar goals that we share from opposite sides of the world to promote gender equality and gender justice. HeForShe is giving us the opportunity to strengthen our partnerships with institutions globally who are committed to this work.”

Rosemary Kilkenny, Georgetown University Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity