I wish you all a happy new Zonta year. As we begin 2018, we also enter the last six months of the 2016-2018 Biennium.

This last year has been fantastic. Here are some Zonta highlights for the year.

• In February, 300 European Zontians met in Vienna to discuss Zonta’s role in a changing society and special European challenges for women.
• In March, nearly 70 Zontians from more than 20 countries represented Zonta at the 61st Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.

• In April, we launched the Global Membership Drive, which includes a comprehensive tool kit for our members and clubs to support recruitment and retention efforts.

• In May, I visited Madagascar where I got to witness firsthand the impact we are making through Zonta’s support for UNICEF’s Let Us Learn program. Watch the video below to find out how Zonta is making a difference in the lives of girls in Madagascar.

• In June, 145 U.S. Zontians visited Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. for the first time to meet with their senators and representatives and advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. Click here to view USA Advocacy Day Materials at the bottom of our Advocacy Tools page.

• In June, we also announced the winners of our Emma L. Conlon Service Award, which recognizes outstanding Z and Golden Z clubs for their work to empower women. Click here to read about the clubs and the programs they implemented.

• In July, Zonta International hosted a panel discussion on child, early and forced marriage with the Permanent Mission of Zambia to the UN, UNICEF USA, Girls Not Brides, Soroptimist International, Unchained At Last and the Association for Dalit Women’s Advancement of Nepal (ADWAN) at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Zonta’s event was one of only three events focused on child marriage out of the hundreds of side events organized.
• In September, we announced Zonta International’s support for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign, a global movement that aims to mobilize 1 billion men to accelerate the achievement of gender equality. Zonta clubs are encouraged to use the HeForShe platform to engage men and boys in their communities to join Zonta as equal partners in our mission to empower women and girls and achieve gender equality. Click here for more information and resources.

• In November, the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women organized an event about child marriage and I had the opportunity to speak about our projects in Niger and Madagascar as well as share our experience in how to reach a sustainable result.

• Throughout the last half of the year, our 31 districts and Region South America hosted their conferences. I had the pleasure of attending five conferences in person and attended six more via Skype. From all over the world we witnessed the engagement and the commitment from all members. Click here to see photos on our Facebook page.
• Most recently, during the 16 Days of Activism from 25 November to 10 December, Zontians worldwide mobilized for the Zonta Says NO to Violence Against Women.