Asia-Pacific underlines need to prioritise gender equality

Asia-Pacific underlines the need to keep gender at the core of the development agenda

Bangkok (ESCAP News) -- Governments in the Asia and Pacific region have, this week, re-committed to eliminating discrimination against women and girls, with the unanimous adoption of a political declaration at the Commission on the Status of Women, currently underway in New York.

Reflecting this commitment, and in commemorating International Women’s Day with the diplomatic community and the United Nations system in Asia-Pacific today, the region’s top United Nations official and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, highlighted that gender equality is a matter of human rights and a precondition for the development and prosperity of the region.

“Our governments regionally and globally have recognised the centrality of gender equality and women’s empowerment to ending poverty, promoting prosperity and well-being for all, protecting the environment and addressing climate change. Thus, on the occasion of International Women’s Day, I take the opportunity to reiterate the call for a transformative
approach to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment that is
underpinned by human rights, accountability and financing,” Dr. Akhtar
explained.

Participants in the interactive dialogue which followed Dr Akhtar’s
address, including the ambassadors of South Africa, Cambodia and
Bangladesh, highlighted the themes of the day with a provocative and
inspiring discussion covering the evolving challenges for women in the
areas of leadership, participation, violence, peace and security.

Against this backdrop, regional and global leaders have reinforced the
centrality of the Beijing Platform for Action, and CEDAW – the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women – in the
“Political declaration on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the
Fourth World Conference on Women.” This again commits governments around
the world to achieving gender equality, women’s empowerment and the need
for accelerated implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action that
transforms rhetoric into reality.

This Political Declaration emphasizes the need for a “transformative and
comprehensive approach” to gender equality and women’s empowerment that
combines strengthened legislation, policies and programmes, with
institutional support, transformation of discriminatory social norms,
greater financial investment monitoring and capacity building.

Dr. Akhtar also looked to the future saying that the proposed Sustainable
Development Goals, which will likely be adopted by the United Nations
General Assembly this September and contain a standalone goal on achieving
gender equality and empowering women, offer the promise of tackling gender
inequalities in a holistic manner.

ENDS

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