HeForShe Movement Expands: Global Leaders Join Forces to Advance Gender Equality

In 2023 alone, HeForShe engaged over 300,000 employees from its member organizations, with more than USD 5.7 million invested directly into gender equality initiatives.

New leaders from Spain, Global Citizen, the African Development Bank, and Movember commit to driving transformative gender equality initiatives over the next decade.

Since its launch in 2014, HeForShe, led by UN Women, has galvanized more than 2 million men and individuals of all genders to advocate for gender equality. The movement has sparked over 3 billion global conversations on issues such as closing the gender pay gap and combating violence against women, and reached more than 36 million people in 2023, including those in crisis-affected regions. In 2023 alone, HeForShe engaged over 300,000 employees from its member organizations, with more than USD 5.7 million invested directly into gender equality initiatives.

Looking to the future, UN Women has announced the appointment of four new HeForShe Champions—Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain; Hugh Evans, CEO and Co-Founder of Global Citizen; Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank; and Michelle Terry, CEO of Movember. These leaders will help guide the HeForShe movement over the next decade, with bold commitments to advance gender equality in their respective sectors.

Global Leaders Set Bold Gender Equality Agendas

Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, is committed to championing gender equality on the global stage. The Spanish government will promote gender rotation in leadership roles within the United Nations General Assembly and push for equal access to decision-making positions at all levels. Sánchez’s administration will also support the global Parity Law and advocate for feminist approaches in all policies, focusing on social, digital, and ecological transitions.

“As we witness the erosion of hard-won feminist rights globally, we must remind the world that gender equality is a human rights issue and concerns us all,” Sánchez said.

Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, pledged to leverage his organization’s platform to amplify HeForShe’s messages on gender equality. By partnering with Global Citizen, HeForShe initiatives will reach wider audiences through global events, campaigns, and advocacy. This collaboration will highlight the importance of women’s and girls' empowerment as essential to ending extreme poverty and achieving gender equity across all sectors of society.

“Ending extreme poverty isn’t possible without putting women’s health and economic rights front and center,” Evans stated. “We’re thrilled to partner with HeForShe to push this agenda forward.”

Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), committed to mainstreaming gender across all AfDB investments and operations. By embedding gender-responsive criteria in project evaluations and monitoring, the AfDB will aim to significantly improve financial inclusion for women across Africa. This focus will help drive a broader agenda of economic development and gender equality across the continent.

"Advancing gender is central to Africa’s development. When Africa’s women win, Africa wins,” said Adesina.

Michelle Terry, CEO of Movember, aims to address harmful gender norms through the lens of men’s health. Movember will collaborate with HeForShe to research and promote healthy masculinities, focusing on the intersections of men's mental and physical health and gender equality. This partnership will provide organizations with resources to foster positive masculinity, which will contribute to dismantling toxic gender norms and creating more inclusive communities.

“Achieving gender equality requires everyone to be part of the solution, including men,” said Terry. “By promoting healthy expressions of masculinity, we create safer and more respectful spaces for all.”

HeForShe’s Legacy and Future Vision

The addition of these four leaders strengthens the HeForShe movement’s global influence, as the initiative looks ahead to its next decade of action. Under their leadership, HeForShe will continue to prioritize gender equality in both the public and private sectors, holding institutions accountable to meet gender-focused goals through rigorous monitoring and advocacy.

UN Women’s Executive Director, Sima Bahous, emphasized the importance of men and women working together to achieve a just and equal world for all. “We are thrilled to welcome these visionary leaders as new HeForShe Champions. Their leadership will help ensure that gender equality remains at the forefront of social, economic, and political agendas worldwide.”

As the HeForShe movement continues to grow, these new commitments signal a deeper integration of gender equality into international governance, economic development, corporate culture, and public health. With a diverse group of leaders across various sectors, HeForShe is poised to make substantial progress toward achieving global gender equality.