UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to present the award at the Asia Initiatives gala on October 18.
Asia Initiatives, an international nonprofit that promotes sustainable development, will honor Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, and Susan Blaustein, founder and director of WomenStrong International, with Award for Women’s Empowerment at a gala in New York City on October 18.
“It is such an honor for me to be able to properly recognize these amazing women,” Ban said in a press release. “During my tenure as Secretary-General, I always worked to make women’s empowerment a top priority and I can see that Asia Initiatives is carrying on that legacy.”
The award was instituted in Ban’s name to honor his work on women’s issues. As secretary general, he played a role in the creation of UN Women, the establishment of a High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, and a drastic increase in the number of women in senior management at the UN.
Both Clinton and Blaustein are recognized “for their work as leaders in women’s empowerment,” said the Asia Initiatives release.
“At the Gala, we will not only honor Mr. Ban, Dr. Clinton, and Dr. Blaustein, but we will also honor the hope and tenacity of thousands of women who participate in our projects,” said Asia Initiatives president and co-founder Geeta Mehta, an Indian American.
“As vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, Chelsea Clinton works to create greater opportunities for people to build better futures for themselves, their families and their communities,” it said. “Clinton is a tireless advocate for the empowerment of girls and women. As the author of She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World and the companion She Persisted Around the World, Clinton promotes the stories of empowered women for children, ensuring that young girls and boys have positive female role models.”
Through WomenStrong International, “Blaustein works to empower and promote women-led initiatives around the world,” the release said. “An ardent believer in the strength and expertise of women to change the local community around them, Blaustein started WomenStrong to help women achieve their full potential and become powerful stakeholders in their communities.”
Founded in 1999, the New York-based Asia Initiative has run programs in India, Kenya, Ghana and the United States.