Stars sign open letter to female world leaders
Charlize Theron, Meryl Streep, Beyonce and Lady Gaga are among the stars who have signed an open letter to female politicians in Germany and South Africa to demand equal rights for women around the world.
Some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry have come together to send a message to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and South Africa's Minister of Health Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma as part of events marking International Women's Day on Sunday (08Mar15).
The letter urges both women to use their influence at upcoming
political conferences to push for gender equality issues.
It reads, "Thank you for your leadership and the example you offer
all girls and women. In June this year you will both chair key
summits at which you have placed women's empowerment on the agenda
- one in Germany, one in South Africa... If your summits reach the
right agreements, great financing and momentum around girls and
women's empowerment can be placed at the heart of the new global
goals... Put simply, poverty is sexist, and we won't end it unless
we face up to the fact that girls and women get a raw deal, and
until leaders and citizens around the world work together for real
change... If we get this right, we could help lift every girl and
woman out of poverty by 2030 - and by doing so we will lift
everyone."
The note, which was also signed by Rita Wilson, Rosamund Pike and
Sarah Silverman, was published in conjunction with U2 star Bono's
One Foundation, which raises money to highlight humanitarian
problems across the world.