Brennan and Gumbonzvanda recently took up their posts as President and General Secretary respectively and the reception offered them the opportunity to officially meet with the dedicated supporters and champions of the World YWCA.

During the reception, held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel, the President and General Secretary shared their vision for the World YWCA. The two leaders were in New York for the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)—one of the most important and largest meetings for the women’s movement. “The World YWCA has shown great leadership at the CSW,” Brennan revealed as she spoke of their accomplishments over the two-week long meeting.

The theme for this year's CSW was Financing for Gender Equality. The World YWCA hosted a panel on ‘Innovative Approaches to Financing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment’ at which Brennan shared the World YWCA experience of fundraising during the Power to Change campaign that raised USD 10 million for a permanent fund to build the leadership of women and girls. "YWCAs around the world are incredibly resourceful organisations," said Brennan as she spoke on the successes of the Power to Change campaign that received significant contributions from the World Service Council.

“The World YWCA has been advocating for an increase in women’s participation in peace building in Kenya, Sudan and the Middle East,” Gumbonzvanda told the World Service Council as she shared the outcomes of the World YWCA co-sponsored panel on ‘Financing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Fragile States’. Gumbonzvanda presented a statement at the panel, calling on UN member states to commit to strengthen the analysis and financing of gender equality and women empowerment actions in the Peace Building Commission and the UN Democracy Fund as well as other regional bodies.

“The YWCA movement is committed to peace in the Middle East, ” said the General Secretary, “We have to be a part of the inter-religious efforts to bring together women from Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities to be part of negotiations for peace.”

Gumbonzvanda thanked the World Service Council members for their support to the World YWCA response to the political crisis in Kenya. "I never experienced any where else such a culture and spirit of giving and support as I have experienced during the response to the crisis in Kenya," she said, “With this tremendous support from the movement, the World YWCA was able to stand tall and respond immediately to the crisis."

Gumbonzvanda urged the members of the World Service Council to continue advocating for peace. “We must be able to talk to Government leaders to ensure peace for all—for that one women and that one child to sleep soundly and dream about peace."

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