African Renaissance and Diaspora Network
DAKAR, SENEGAL, 27 June 2022. The African Renaissance and Diaspora Network (ARDN) has appointed Ms. Chantal Yelu Mulop from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a Goodwill Ambassador for the Red Card Campaign to put an end to all forms of discrimination against women and girls, particularly in the context of promoting positive masculinity. The appointment ceremony will be held on 27 June 2022, at the King Fahd Palace Hotel in Dakar, Senegal, on the occasion of the Red Card Campaign launch in Senegal.
The Red Card Campaign seeks use the convening powers of sports and culture to mobilize people, across the world, to commit to ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls, within the framework of Sustainable Development Goal #5 (Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls) of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations.
“Next year, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights will turn 75. Yet, women and girls still have not received the freedom, dignity and rights promised to them in the Declaration. We need to take action to ensure that this will be achieved today, and that they will not have to wait another 75 years,” said Dr. Djibril Diallo, President and CEO of ARDN. “This will require the concerted effort of all members of the human family, regardless of gender. This is why I am so excited to welcome Ms. Mulop to ARDN, where she will help to promote the importance of all genders in ensuring that women and girls, everywhere, are uplifted and empowered.”
“By appointing me as Goodwill Ambassador for positive masculinity, ARDN is honouring the women who have taken this fight head on. It is now time to pool our efforts for an international response to this phenomenon”, said Ms. Mulop. “Let us continue to mobilize sport and culture in the fight against discrimination everywhere. Long live ARDN.”
Ms. Mulop is the Special Adviser to the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in charge of Youth, Gender and the Fight against Violence against Women. She is a leading activist, a recognized humanist and feminist,a G100 chair member, an advocate for social and economic justice and the promotion of women’s fundamental rights. Among her key achievements, have been the launch of the immediate zero tolerance campaign against crimes of sexual and gender-based violence; the holding of the first conference of Heads of State of the African Union on Positive Masculinity in the DRC; the signing of the addendum to the joint agreement between the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations on sexual violence related to the 2019 conflict; and participation in the G20 meeting and preparation of the DRC President’s official statement on the promotion of women’s rights, gender equality and the fight against impunity.
Ms. Mulop will join distinguished performers, athletes, and globally recognized leaders who, as goodwill ambassadors for ARDN, will continue to lend their influence, talents, platform and ideas to popularize the sustainable development goals in communities across the globe.
Media Contacts:
Arlene Katzive, ARDN Director of External Relations, arlene.katzive@ardn.ngo;
Ibrahima Faye, Special Assistant to the ARDN CEO & Manager of the ARDN Office in Dakar, ibrahima.faye@ardn.ngo
ABOUT ARDN
ARDNis an internationally operating NGO headquartered in New York, with the status of a United States 501(c)(3) public charity. ARDN’s mission is to accelerate the attainment of the African renaissance by advocating for and supporting United Nations programs and priorities. To this end, ARDN mobilizes the passion of government, educators, artists, intellectuals, the private sector, civil society and youth, using the power of art, sport and culture as vectors for creating a better world. ARDN serves as the Secretariat for the Global Alliance of Mayors and Leaders from Africa and of African Descent.
ABOUT THE RED CARD CAMPAIGN
Women’s rights are human rights. In the game of football (soccer), a red card symbolizes a significant infraction of the rules. ARDN Red Card Campaign seeks to mobilize individuals from all sectors of society to commit to giving a red card to all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls.
