Women Leaders of Selected NGOs and UN SDGs Achievement

Part 1: Introduction

UNSDGs achievement deadline is fast approaching by 2030. We have almost crossed 50 percent of the time given for its achievement. There are various academic research studies that have proved women as leaders can help achieve UNSDGs effectively. Women leaders across the globe have initiated the path towards the achievement of UNSDGs. Most of the women leaders remain unnoticed or rarely documented. It is important that the achievement of global women leaders be reported and recorded systematically for the benefit of other women who would like to walk the path of achieving sustainability. 70% of International NGO sector staff are women, but only 30% of those women reach the top of their organisations, according to FAIR SHARE. Even fewer of those women are black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME). Ho () in here article titled “Growing global women leaders from the majority world” observed that the 21st century is pivotal for women as global leaders – women are predisposed as cross-cultural and multi-faceted leaders.

The chapter focuses on women who have steered their way to impact the global sustainability through UNSDGs. Four women have been identified for the chapter: Dr. Monica Sharma, Author of Radical Transformational Leadership, Ms. Etsuko Nakano, OISCA International President, Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava, Entrepreneur, Educator, Speaker and Mentor, Dr. Renita Reed Thomson, Founder and President of DML.

The three women identified are women impacting global men and women to take up the cause of UNSDGs and driving them with passion to achieve the UNSDGs. The contribution of these women must be documented to inspire more women to take leadership responsibility and impact the world positively. The chapter will include: Part 1: Introduction, Part 2: Review of Literature, Part 3: Case Study on four women leaders of four NGOs, Part 4: Conclusion

Women across the globe have been initially and intentionally influenced the betterment efforts of mankind to make the world a better place. Women have been bold and better in their global development initiatives. Even when UN SDGs were not there or were evolving they have been aligned with the global goals in their purpose and prophetic vision for the world. When we have a closer look at some of the women leaders it is evident that they did not wait for the UN to bring out the global agenda rather they chalked an agenda for themselves and those around them and were with them in their vision. The chapter is aimed at presenting the women who have made a global influence through their vision for building a better world than they found it. The chapter presents five women leaders who have pushed the global agenda further with their contributions.

The contents for the chapter has been collected from the websites of the organizations and from the leaders’ inputs based on the questions raised by the author as well as reactions that came from them based on the summary written by the author. The author analysed and used descriptive method to trace the UN SDGs being pursued by the NGOs being led by the women leaders consciously and intentionally.

Part 2: Review Of Literature

Rao & Kelleher (2000) proposed the professionalization of NGOs to promote gender equity in NGOs. They observed that NGOs as learning organizations can adopt professionalization as a third way to bring in gender equity in NGOs. Philips (2016) examined the ‘empowerment paradigm’, brought out the nexus between the women emancipation and their role in the NGOs, and explored the contemporary role of feminism within women’s NGOs. Hege & Demailly (2017) studied the NGOs in Germany vs France and found that the German NGOs were more mobilized towards UN SDGs and aware of UN SDGs than the French NGOs. The reasons for such deviation was examined, how the mobilization around UN SDGs can bring better globally oriented outcome