On November 11, 2006, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the WTA announced a landmark global partnership to further gender equality and promote women's leadership in all spheres of society.
The social responsibility program, which draws upon the history of the WTA and its players in fighting for equality, marks the high level of commitment by the WTA and players to raise awareness of gender equality issues and advance opportunities for women. It also represents the first time that UNESCO is partnering with a professional sports league.
Multiple Grand Slam champion and former world No.1 Venus Williams volunteered to serve as the first global "promoter of gender equality" under the partnership. Tatiana Golovin also became an official promoter in May 2007, as did Zheng Jie in September 2007 and Vera Zvonareva in May 2009.
In November 2008, WTA founder Billie Jean King was announced as a Global Mentor for Gender Equality, along with the funding of the Women's Sports Foundation newly created Billie Jean King Leadership Internship program.
For more information on UNESCO, visit www.unesco.org.
To make a donation to UNESCO's Gender Equality programs, click here.
Habitat for Humanity is an international charity dedicated to eliminating poverty housing worldwide in the belief that simple decent shelter is a basic human right. The WTA began its partnership with Habitat in 2007 as part of the Tsunami relief efforts in which we teamed together to build new homes and better the living conditions for families in the affected regions. Through the WTA's past partnership with Whirlpool Europe, Habitat for Humanity International also became one of the WTA's most successful social partnerships. With a focus on helping extremely low income single mothers attain a decent place for their families to live, Habitat and the WTA launched the Aces for Homes program which helped over 100 female headed households and raised more than €420,000.
Most recently, The WTA was the fastest corporate partner to respond to the Haiti disaster via the Habitat Europe and Central Asia (ECA) office. The speed and commitment that the WTA showed allowed Habitat in Haiti to move along the most critical steps of immediate aid and have helped HFHI to begin construction of our transitional shelters for the families with the most need such as single mothers, families with many children, and the elderly.
For more information, visit the Habitat for Humanity Europe & Central Asia website.
The WTA also supports the following charities:
Make-A-Wish Foundation®
Grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
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Tennis Against Breast Cancer (TABC)
Formed to expand awareness of breast cancer and raise funds to find a cure.
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First Serve
Empowering young people by providing local tennis facilities and schools with a life skills program.
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