Former Richmond student and current UN staff member highlights importance of International Women’s Day 

Müge Dolun, who graduated from Richmond in 2000 with a BA in Environmental Studies, is putting a spotlight on International Women’s Day, taking place today, Monday 8 March. It’s a particularly significant event for Müge in her role at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as Gender Coordinator.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organization is a specialised agency of the United Nations that assists countries in achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Industrial Development.

International Women’s Day (IWD) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. IWD has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people. The IWD 2021 campaign theme is #ChooseToChallenge, asking everyone to call out gender bias and inequality. Find out more about how you can get involved here.

Müge has worked for UNIDO for over 17 years, and is currently serving at the Office for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women. She also worked as part of the team of authors of UNIDO’s flagship publication, the Industrial Development Report, having experience with various development and trade-related think-tanks such as the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) and the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD). In addition to her BA in Environmental Studies with a minor in Economics from Richmond, Müge holds a Masters in Public Administration in International Development from Harvard Kennedy School.

Watch Müge explain why IWD is so important.