#HeForShe was launched by which United Nations entity?

#HeForShe was launched by UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The global solidarity movement began at United Nations headquarters in New York on 20 September 2014. UN Women presented HeForShe as a campaign inviting men and boys to participate actively in challenging discrimination, unequal opportunity, and violence against women. Its central idea is that gender equality affects everyone—not only women—and therefore requires broad social participation.

The launch was led publicly by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Emma Watson, who was serving as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador. Watson’s speech helped propel the campaign across social media, but she did not create or independently run the initiative. UN Women was the founding organization and institutional home.

A common mix-up is confusing UN Women with UNICEF, UNESCO, or UNHCR. Those agencies have different mandates: children’s welfare, education and culture, and refugee protection respectively. HeForShe’s focus on gender equality places it specifically within UN Women’s mission. The campaign later developed programs such as IMPACT 10x10x10, which engaged governments, businesses, and universities.