"The iconic Wonder Woman fictional character was named an Honorary Ambassador for the Empowerment of Women and Girls on 21 October 2016, in support of Sustainable Development Goal 5 – to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The designation ceremony coincided with the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman's first appearance in a comic book in 1941. Wonder Woman has since then been depicted in movies and TV series. She is a global citizen and universally recognized for her commitment to justice, peace and equality and is seen as a model of strength, fairness and compassion becoming a symbol of empowerment for women and girls in much of the world. Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and therefore also half of its potential. But today, gender inequality persists everywhere and stagnates social progress. In many parts of the world women endure physical and sexual violence, face barriers to opportunities for leadership and education and receive less pay than men for equal work among other forms of discrimination."