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U.N. Assembly’s Opening Featured a Single Female Speaker

Slovakia’s Caputova called for focus on Afghan women, girls
UN says just 24 nations have a female head of government

Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova — Slovakia President Zuzana Caputova
Source: UN Web TV/AP

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September 21, 2021, 9:50 PM UTC

The global challenge of promoting female leaders was highlighted starkly Tuesday at the United Nations General Assembly gathering, where only one of the 34 heads of government speaking was a woman.

In a video message to global leaders, Slovakian President Zuzana Caputova used part of her speech to focus on gender and human rights issues: calling on the world to stand up for the plight of Afghan girls and women at risk from the country’s new Taliban government.