UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo is an International Gender Champion

Achieving gender equality and female empowerment by breaking down gender barriers is a key factor to strive for peace, defend rights, promote the well-being of all and encourage economic growth. The International Gender Champions network provides a platform for stronger action to promote gender equality and consists of a broad range of actors. The International Gender Champions sign the Panel Parity Pledge to not sit on single-sex panels and take on two additional individual commitments to support gender equality.

Simonetta Di Pippo, Director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is one of the International Gender Champions. Her two commitments to achieve gender equality at UNOOSA are to:

• Advise and encourage delegations to committees to launch or support, as appropriate, measures, decisions and initiatives promoting gender equality across the entire spectrum of their activities in the field of the peaceful exploration and uses of outer space. Make sure that formal statements delivered on behalf of UNOOSA contain a vocal emphasis from a gender perspective, as appropriate.

• Develop a fully-fledged 'Space for Women' project to facilitate the strengthening of the awareness, capacity and skills of individuals and institutions related to the importance of promoting gender equality in the space sector and its fundamental educational fields by 2019. With the following cornerstones:

  • Facilitating access to the space sector education as well the space sector itself

  • Provide policy-relevant advice and awareness raising to institutions and governments on 'Space for Women' and 'Women for Space'

  • Facilitating capacity-building/training of individuals on access to and use of space-technology

  • Promote a mentoring platform on 'Space for Women'