UN Women National Committee Australia is pleased to announce that Lauren Jackson, Australia’s star basketball player has agreed to become a national Champion for the organisation, supporting our efforts to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality.
As a Champion, Lauren will attend the Canberra International Women’s Day lunch, held on March 7 and help to educate her large audience about the importance of gender equality. She will also encourage engagement and donations to UN Women through the UN Women National Committee Australia website and social media platforms.
“I am proud to take on this role with the Australian NC for UN Women,” Lauren says. “I hope to be able to be a role model for women, promoting gender equality amongst Australians and around the world.”
Lauren Jackson is one of Australia’s best known and most successful athletes, who has won four Olympic medals with the Australian women’s basketball team, the Opals. Lauren was the flag bearer at the 2012 London Olympic Games, where she became the highest point scorer in Olympic women’s basketball history. Lauren has also won several Championships in the Australian Women’s National Basketball League (WNBL), the American Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and in several European leagues.
Lauren is currently majoring in Gender Studies at Macquarie University. She was inspired to do so after reading about the violence against women during the genocide in Rwanda, and she is also ambassador of the Mukomeze Foundation, which helps empower the women and girls who survived the sexual violence of that period. Lauren will play for the Opals in the coming FIBA World Championships in 2014, and will then play for the Canberra Capitals in the coming two WNBL seasons.
The UN Women National Committee Australia is one of 18 National Committees globally that supports UN Women through fundraising and advocacy. We have a formal membership base of 1350 individuals and NGOs, and more than 30,000 people attend our International Women’s Day events each year.
“We are delighted to have Lauren as a Champion for our organisation,” says Julie McKay, Executive Director for the Australian National Committee for UN Women. “Lauren has, through her sporting achievements and advocacy for women’s rights, shown herself to be a great leader and role model for all Australians.”
