By Ndidi Chukwu
Two months before Member States of the United Nations concludes on the post-2015 development agenda, the UN Women have called on all stakeholders to work in solidarity to support the transformative goals that will seek equity for all gender. A Statement by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngeuka, want governments, international financial institutions, regional development banks, intergovernmental organizations, civil society, the private sector, to keep the end in view and make justifiable decsiisons of women’s impact in sustainable development by 2030.
She said the Action Agenda makes a strong political commitment to “ensure gender equality and women’s and girls’ empowerment” in the context of setting a global framework for financing of development post-2015”
Phumzile reaffirmed that the full realization of women’s human rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential to achieving sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth and sustainable development. This includes as priorities for investment positive elements, including strengthened laws, policies and measures, and their implementation in relation to gender equality and women’s empowerment; the reiteration of the need for gender mainstreaming into all policies, and targeted transformative actions and investments for the promotion of gender equality at all levels.
“The Action Agenda in many significant ways builds upon commitments made in the political declaration adopted by Member States at the 59th Commission on the Status of Women in March 2015 focusing on 20 years review and appraisal of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In the Declaration, Member States explicitly recognized the persistent gender funding gaps and pledged to take concrete action, including through “significantly increased investment to close the resource gaps”. UN Women hopes that this commitment will be carried forward in the post-2015 development agenda.
We share the vision of the women’s movement and civil society of a global economic and financial architecture that is inclusive and generates enhanced resources in scale, scope and quality, for gender equality and women’s empowerment. Addressing structural issues that continue to have a significant long-term detrimental impact on women and girls should remain an important objective at the center of this vision.
As we move forward into the next stage of the continuum that leads to the Summit on sustainable development in September, we will seek opportunities to win traction for, and achieve, the deep changes in the global financial architecture that will ultimately result in true financing for development, and the realization of sustainable development goals. We will continue to work with civil society, our constant partners, whose strong contribution has been invaluable from the inception of the Addis process.
The Action Plan for Transformative Financing for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, which was launched by UN Women and partners in Addis Ababa, is intended to support the process that began with commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and to generate new commitments in the context of the post-2015 development agenda and the climate change agreement later this year.
