UNA-USA Women's Affinity Group

The UNA-USA Women’s Affinity Group is a group within the United Nations Association of the USA whose members advocate for UN programs that advance the rights and empowerment of women and girls worldwide. It is the sibling group to the Human Rights Affinity Group behind this site. Membership is open to any current UNA-USA member.

Mission

Members of the group advocate for UN programs that advance women’s and girls’ rights and promote women’s empowerment on a global scale. Their work runs through the UN’s gender-equality machinery: the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) (the international bill of rights for women, adopted in 1979), and the Generation Equality agenda.

Leadership

• Lady Tee Thompson, Legacy Co-Chair. Principal of AgroBiz.org and a gender-equality expert whose “DigiRoots” model has trained thousands of women entrepreneurs.
• MaryAnn Ngozi Obidike, Co-Chair. A Doctor of Public Health candidate at Claremont Graduate University and former Secretary of the group, who has represented UNA-USA as a delegate to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

CSW70 engagements

For the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, UNA-USA filed a written statement to the UN Secretary-General. The group’s Generation Equality Consultation, submitted to UN Women on December 6, 2025, informed the CSW70 Global Youth and Adolescents Recommendations 10, 11, and 33, which call for:

• Gender-transformative oversight of digital technologies;
• Legal accountability for private-sector actors, including technology companies;
• Inclusive, youth- and community-led monitoring and data collection to advance access to justice.

Committees

The group’s work runs through six committees:

1. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
2. Toolkit: International Women’s Day, 16 Days of Activism, CEDAW, and Generation Equality
3. 16 Days of Activism
4. Social Media
5. Podcast / YouTube: the UNA-USA Women on the HERizon podcast

Get involved

Participation is open to any current UNA-USA member. If you are already a member, email membership@unausa.org for instructions on joining the Women’s Affinity Group. Not a member yet? Join UNA-USA first, then ask to be added. You can also follow the group on Instagram at @una.women.

Learn more from UN Women and Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.