NEW YORK – UN Women recently released a position paper intended to spur global action to support gender equality, women’s rights, and women’s empowerment. As the discussion for the post-2015 Millennium Development Goals moves forward UN Women hopes to ensure inclusion of gender equality and women’s rights components.
UN Women, created in 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly, provides support for inter-governmental bodies addressing gender equality and holds the UN system accountable for implementing the ideals it promotes regarding gender rights. UN Women also provides technical and financial support for UN member countries implementing gender equality standards.
While the Millennium Development Goals have achieved significant strides in several areas, women have not seen enough progress. Maternal mortality has been reduced by 50% since 1990, however, 800 women die every day due to childbirth and other pregnancy-related complications, and violence and inequality persist around the world.
The position paper brings together various aspects of gender equality addressed in conversation regarding the post-2015 goals. The paper proposes a way forward for gender equality. Underlying issues affecting women’s equality must be addressed if significant progress is to be seen. Violence against women, lack of property and legal rights, unpaid care work, and unequal participation in civil society institutions are all listed in the paper as affecting women’s equality.
UN Women has proposed including a post-2015 goal specifically targeting women’s rights and including three target areas: freedom from violence for women and girls, gender equality in knowledge and resources, and gender equality in civil society participation and representation. UN Women would also like gender equality to be integrated across all of the post-2015 goals, or gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming is a strategy used globally to ensure gender issues and considerations are included in all aspects of operations. Programs focusing on all aspects of development are encouraged to incorporate gender components, ensuring perspectives and goals of gender equality are included.
As the conversation regarding the post-2015 development goals moves forward UN Women encourages individuals to include their voice in the call for gender equality components. Global citizens may participate in the online conversation hosted by UN Women regarding gender equality goals at www.worldwewant2015.org/node/357447. By garnering support for these goals UN Women hopes the post-2015 goals will create a better world for women and girls everywhere.
– Callie D. Coleman
Source: UN Women UN Women About UN UN Women Watch
Photo: UN Special