What do British actress Emma Watson, Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol and Academy award winners Nicole Kidman and Anne Hathaway have in common with Tamil director Aishwaryaa Rajnikanth Dhanush?
Aishwaryaa, the eldest daughter of Tamil star Rajnikanth joined the UN Family of Women on Monday when she was appointed a UN Women’s Advocate for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in India.
Lakshmi Puri, United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director, made the announcement in Chennai.
Aishwaryaa will help raise awareness of UN Women’s core messages of gender equality and women’s empowerment across India, boosting the organisation’s effort to close the gender gap and achieve a more equal world, Puri said. The aim is to make the planet 50-50 by 2030.
Puri added that Aishwaryaa, with her steadfast belief in gender equality and her commitment to achieving it, will surely take the UN message to millions across India and motivate artists, students, intellectuals and policy makers to place gender equality at the heart of their work.
Accepting the honour to serve the UN, Aishwaryaa said her new responsibility would be to ensure safe public and private spaces for women.
“Their effective participation in politics, decision-making and the economy are essential steps towards gender equality and the empowerment of women.”
She hops to draw attention to some of the challenges and highlight solutions.
Dr Rebecca Reichmann Travers, Representative, UN Women India, while welcoming Aishwaryaa into the UN Women family, stated that as a filmmaker, dancer and writer, Aishwaryaa was well placed to reach out to young people, speak out and act to prevent violence against women, create a level playing field for women and girls and most importantly change mindsets and attitudes that allow inequalities to persist.
Aishwaryaa is currently working on her debut book, Standing on an Apple Box, and scripting for her next film.
