The United Nations has commended Nigeria for its efforts to support women and vulnerable populations, as Women Leaders Support Advancement (WLSA) praised the UN Deputy Secretary-General, H.E. Amina Mohammed, for her sustained commitment to women’s empowerment, social inclusion, and humanitarian development.
The commendation followed a high-level engagement at the United Nations House in New York, where Amina Mohammed received the Founder of WLSA, Deborah Jan Hornecker, alongside members of the organisation and its diaspora leadership.
During the meeting, the UN Deputy Secretary-General acknowledged Nigeria’s strides in supporting women, particularly the vulnerable and underserved, while applauding WLSA’s grassroots-driven initiatives focused on empowering women within local communities.
She encouraged the organisation to sustain its humanitarian interventions, stressing that inclusive social and economic opportunities for women remain critical to national and global development.
Describing WLSA’s work as timely and impactful, Amina Mohammed urged continued advocacy and action to uplift women who seek and deserve improved livelihoods and dignity.
In her response, Deborah Jan Hornecker, speaking on behalf of WLSA and partner organisations—including DEFAUYA Women Foundation, Ramat Foundation, and Chayah Hope Foundation expressed profound appreciation for Amina Mohammed’s moral leadership, guidance, and unwavering support for women-centred initiatives.
She reaffirmed WLSA’s commitment to advancing the welfare of underprivileged Nigerian women, emphasising that grassroots empowerment remains at the core of the organisation’s mission.
As part of its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and broader humanitarian action, WLSA also participated in an economic summit at the Nigerian House in New York.
Delivering a keynote presentation titled “Women at the Center of Global Progress: Leadership, Inclusion, and Collective Responsibility,” Hornecker highlighted the urgent need for robust global support systems for vulnerable women.
She described WLSA as a purpose-driven movement bridging advocacy and opportunity from grassroots women entrepreneurs to Nigerian women excelling in global institutions ensuring women at all levels are recognised, supported, and strengthened.
According to her, empowering women and youths is essential to stabilising societies and strengthening economies noting that real-life humanitarian encounters including widows supporting large families, abandoned patients, and unsupported new mothers continue to inspire WLSA’s compassionate interventions.
Hornecker also called on Nigerian women in the diaspora to actively support community development efforts at home, while urging leaders at all levels to embrace servant leadership rooted in humanity and compassion.
She thereby stressing that women are not peripheral to progress but central to it, adding that resilient, inclusive, and prosperous nations are built when women lead and are adequately supported.
