Why gender equality is key to sustainable development
1. Twenty years ago, the adoption by 189 governments of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action marked a turning point in the history of women’s rights. This was the first international attempt in the effort to realize equal opportunities for women and girls. But while much progress has been made in the intervening decades, much more remains to be done to ensure that women and children are guaranteed healthy lives, education, and full social inclusion. In just 42 countries do women hold more than 30% of seats in the national legislature, and girls still do not have the same educational opportunities as boys in Sub-Saharan Africa, Oceania, and western Asia.
2. Gender equality is not just the concern of half of the world’s population; it is a human right, a concern for us all, because no society can develop economically, politically, or socially when half of its population is marginalized. We must leave no one behind.
3. This is a year of global action. Governments will adopt a new set of Sustainable Development Goals. Those participating would be wise to remember that inclusive sustainable development can be realized only when all human rights including gender equality are protected, respected, and fulfilled. We share a common motivation for our work: protecting our planet for our children and grandchildren, and ensuring the development of a world where all people regardless of their gender, race, religion, age, disability, or sexual orientation have an equal opportunity to achieve their aspirations. Therefore, we should secure a better future and raise a new generation of girls and boys who respect one another and work together to protect the rights of all people.
5. The implications of not providing girls with equal voices, choices, and opportunities affect not just their lives, but the future of the planet. Efforts to promote inclusive sustainable development and fight climate change are inextricably linked with gender equality since women are among those most vulnerable to the impacts of unsustainable practices and climate change. Women make up almost 60% of the people who live in extreme poverty because they often have no independent income or land rights. According to a report published by UN in 2012, less than 20 percent of the world’s landholders are women. Women represent fewer than 5 percent of all agricultural landholders in North Africa and West Asia. In many countries, women are responsible for the provision of water and food for their families. And when the usual sources of these resources are disrupted by drought, flood or other extreme weather conditions, women are forced to travel farther and spend more time working for less return. Scarcity requires them to make difficult choices like pulling children out of school.
6. If we care about development, we must care about the consequences of our greenhouse-gas emissions are having on women around the world. This is not a threat that we can set aside until we have eradicated poverty worldwide. Nor is it a problem that we can leave to future generations to address. Left unchecked, climate change along with other unsustainable patterns of development could wipe out the gains of recent decades. All countries developed and developing have a role to play in ensuring a stable world for everyone by empowering women and giving them equal rights.
7. This year will be crucial. With the UN Climate Change Conference in December, we have the opportunity to integrate gender equality and women’s empowerment fully into the effort to promote an inclusive sustainable development and fight climate change. Let’s seize this opportunity for a just and equitable future for all