Women’s rights are human rights, with Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda | UN Women

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Published Feb 17, 2025

Having grown up in war-torn rural Zimbabwe, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda overcame extreme hardship to pursue a career at the highest levels of the United Nations. Now UN Assistant Secretary-General, and one of two deputy executive directors of UN Women, she wants little girls everywhere to aspire to the same heights.

“Peace is a prerequisite. It's so critical for development… for unleashing the potential of the little girls. Peace is so important for enabling mothers, widows to give the best they can.”

UN Women works to uphold women’s human rights and ensure that every woman and girl lives up to her full potential. In this episode, Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda reflects on a childhood touched by war, poverty and disease, on a lifelong love of learning, and on how a recent accident gave her a new perspective on inequality.

[00:00] Introduction
[01:10] Growing up in Zimbabwe amidst conflict and war
[05:51] Family and community support
[07:37] The power of education
[10:16] Facing the HIV/AIDS crisis
[14:24] Becoming the first in her family to attend university
[16:27] Awakening to women’s rights
[18:19] The impact of child marriage
[21:12] A promise to her father
[23:45] Fighting for women’s autonomy
[25:16] What keeps Nyaradzayi awake at night
[26:35] Life with a disability
[27:32] Empowering survivors
[28:44] A message to young girls
[29:36] Closing remarks

Listen to more Awake at Night episodes: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLwoDFQJEq_0b6hu1e8oxsch9W0D7vkNqt
#podcast #unitednations #awakeatnight #UNWomen #womensrights

About Awake at Night
Hosted by Melissa Fleming, UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, the podcast ‘Awake at Night’ is an in-depth interview series focusing on remarkable United Nations staff members who dedicate their career to helping people in parts of the world where they have the hardest lives – from war zones and displacement camps to areas hit by disasters and the devastation of climate change.