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  • Thank you, Arina , for such generous introduction.

  • And on behalf of the entire HeForShe Team, I also want to thank UNESCO for all of its support.

  • It meant a lot to us.

  • Thank you all for being here for this important moment.

  • These men from all over the world decided to make gender equality a priority in their lives and in our universities.

  • Thank you for making this commitment.

  • I graduated from university four years ago.

  • I had always dreamed of going, and I know how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to do so.

  • Brown became my home, my community.

  • And I took the ideas and the experiences I had that

  • into my social interactions, into my work place, into my politics, into all aspects of my life.

  • I know my university experiences shaped who I am.

  • And of course it does for many people.

  • But what if our experience of university shows us that women don't belong in leadership.

  • What if it shows us that, yes, women can study, but they shouldn't lead a seminar.

  • What if, as still in many places around the world,

  • it tells us that women don't belong there at all.

  • What if as the case in far too many universities, we are given the message,

  • the sexual violence isn't actually a form of violence.

  • But, we know that if you change students' experiences, so they have different expectations of the world around them.

  • Expectations of equality, society would change.

  • As we leave home for the first time to study at the places that we have worked so hard to get,

  • we must not see or experience double standards.

  • We need to see equal respect, leadership, and pay.

  • The university experience must tell women that brain power is valued

  • And not just that, but they belong within the leadership of the university itself.

  • and so importantly right now, the experience must make it clear that

  • the safety of women, minorities, and anyone who may be vulnerable,

  • it's a right, not a privilege.

  • A right that will be respected by a community that believes and supports survivors and recognizes that

  • when one person's safety is violated, every one feels their own safety is violated.

  • A university should be a place of refuge that takes action against all forms of violence.

  • That's why we believe that students should leave universities believing in striving for un-expecting societies of true equality,

  • Societies of true equality in every sense. And universities have the power to be a vital catalyst for that change.

  • Our ten impact champions have made this commitment,

  • and with their work, we know they will inspire students and other universities and schools across the world to do better.

  • I am delighted to introduce this report of their progress and I'm eager to hear what's next. Thank you so much!

Thank you, Arina , for such generous introduction.

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