Women In Leadership: A Q & A with President Sahle-Work Zewde

By Katja IversenSep 20 2019 (IPS-Partners) Women Deliver President/CEO Katja Iversen discusses women in leadership and links between sexual and reproductive health and rights and Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to advance gender equality with the first female President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde. Katja Iversen: You have had a remarkable career, breaking down barriers as the first woman to hold several leadership positions across the UN and now as President of Ethiopia. How did you find the strength, the power, and the resilience to pursue this pathway to change? President Sahle-Work Zewde: For me strength, resilience and power are all learned and accumulated over time. The more you know about yourself, excel at the work you do and understand the world you live in, the more you realize how nothing worthwhile in life comes without a fight and a lot of patience. When I look back at my life that is what I observe – my resilience and determination grew with every challenge life threw my way. With each opportunity and new position, I had the fortune of holding, I always made sure to be humble enough to learn what I did not know and confident enough to never forget my self-worth. That self belief made me aspire for more while discharging my duties to the best of my abilities. Through all this, it is important to recognize the role of the many people who believed in me, trusted me with positions of power at a young age in the world of diplomacy and much later in life as well. B...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Gender Health Women's Health Source Type: news