“Compassion is the ultimate superpower within us,” you said in your speech to the graduating class of Harvard Law School. Your work with UNDP started with a deep sense of empathy after you experienced a devastating earthquake in Nepal — in 2015. When you became UNDP Goodwill Ambassador, you chose Nepal as your first mission. What motivated you to take on this role?

Disasters of such devastating magnitude, like the 2015 Nepal earthquake, cause irreparable damage to the lives of those who already have so little, and for generations after. Too many people are left homeless and without means to rebuild or keep their families safe. In Nepal, I saw the ruins all around me. I kept thinking how unfair it was that I had a home to go to and for thousands of families, their lives were suddenly reduced to rubble. It made me realize that crisis like this expose deep pre-existing inequalities. Those living in poverty, especially women and girls, bear the brunt of it. A world that is already unfair… becomes even more unfair. My experience inspired me to leverage the platform I was given through my work in film and use it to help others. I wanted to shine a light on inequalities around the world— particularly how disproportionately they impact women and girls. That’s why I became a UNDP Goodwill Ambassador. I was determined to use my voice to advocate for gender equality globally, especially in times of crisis, when women and girls are the most vulnerable. 

As UNDP’s Goodwill Ambassador, you have worked on many of the issues under the SDGs — preservation of wildlife, women’s empowerment, addressing inequalities… Which of the SDGs are you most passionate about?

 Each of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is critically important and they fit together like pieces of a puzzle to create a brighter tomorrow for everyone. But the issue of gender equality, Goal 5, is especially personal to me. As an actor in Hollywood, who is female, Asian, and now in my 60s, I know a thing or two about discrimination. I have spent my decades-long career fighting against stereotypes based on gender, race, and age. Progress to ensure women’s full and equal economic participation is alarmingly slow. A staggering 2.4 billion working-age women live in countries that do not grant them the same rights as men. At the current pace, it will take 300 years to achieve full gender equality. We don’t have that kind of time. We are now past the halfway mark toward the 2030 target date to achieve the SDGs. What I have learned through my work with UNDP is that realizing these Global Goals will only be possible if we achieve true gender equality, everywhere, and in all aspects of life. 

These past couple of years have truly been your time to shine. You won an Oscar, among other awards and nominations. You’ve been elected as an International Olympic Committee member. At the same time, this has also been a time of global crises, war and disaster. Tell us more about the ways in which you plan to leverage your success into action.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that my life changed in an instant when the Academy made me the first Asian to win an Oscar for best actress. While I am beyond grateful for this moment of professional success, I want to point the spotlight on those who all too often go unacknowledged: the women who are the backbone of our economies and societies. They take care of children and older people, put food on the table and keep their communities together in times of crisis and disaster. At the same time, they are blocked from equally participating in the very same economies that depend on their free labour and are missing from the table when decisions are being made that impact them the most. I want to put the spotlight on this inequity, which is ingrained in the fabric of our society at all levels—from our lives at home to our economy to our governments. Here’s the thing. When women do well, everyone wins. Take the global economy, for example. Global wealth would potentially increase by $172 trillion if women had the same lifetime earnings as men, according to the World Bank. This is why I supported UNDP’s campaign on building gender-equal economies. UNDP is working with countries to transform their systems and policies to advance true gender equality, in all aspects of life and society. We have a long road ahead towards achieving full gender parity but it all begins with us, here and now. 

In your Oscar acceptance speech, you talked about women who go unnoticed, who never have a voice, who are “never the superheroes.” What advice would you give to women working against the odds? 

The film industry I’ve spent a lifetime working in is notorious for unequal pay for male and female actors. In many corners, gender-based discrimination runs rampant. Throughout my career, I have been typecast, stereotyped, put in boxes, and faced a lot of rejection. I have fought against it all, with varying degrees of success. But time and time again, I refused to accept an unfair world. Today, I am living proof that change is possible. So, this is my advice to women: don’t let anyone tell you that your goals are too ambitious or that you will never achieve them. It’s never too late. Afterall, I won my first Golden Globe and Oscar at 60! I know something about perseverance. And I know that we can win the fight for gender equality. But we have to do it together and we have to go all in. 

Discover more in the third edition of UNDP India's flagship magazine Inspiring India