Advances in women’s rightsvanish before our eyes“, while gender equality is “an increasingly distant horizonsaid UN Secretary General António Guterres during the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67).
Speaking during the work of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), which opened on Monday at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said that progress in women’s rightsvanish before our eyes“, specifying that this is the case of certain countries like Afghanistan, where women and girls have been erased from public life.
The UN chief relied on the data provided by UN Women to conclude and affirm that “gender equality is an increasingly distant horizon», noting that at «current rate, it will take 300 years to reach it“.
To further justify his remarks, Guterres gave the example of the increase in maternal mortality when in most cases it would be preventable, the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 and international armed conflicts which target women. .
“This year, you are particularly interested in reducing gender disparities in the fields of technology and innovation. The timing couldn’t be better“, he said, pointing out that at the moment when “technology is advancing at breakneck speed, women and girls are being left behind“.
According to the senior official,the calculation is simple: without the ideas and creativity of half the world, science and technology will realize only half of their potential“.
Furthermore, gender inequality is a matter of power and for this, the Secretary-General has called for urgent action in three areas, starting with improving education, incomes and employment for women and girls, especially in countries of the South. Furthermore, the full participation and leadership of women and girls in science and technology should also be encouraged.
Guterres said, on his third point, that the international community must work in particular to create a safe digital environment for women and girls. In this regard, the UN is working to advance a code of conduct for the integrity of information on digital platforms, aimed at reducing harm and increasing accountability.
The UN chief noted that promoting women’s full contribution to science, technology and innovation “is not an act of charity or a favor towards women“, but one “mustwhich benefits everyone.
“The Commission on the Status of Women is a dynamo and catalyst for the transformation we need. Together, let’s push back the fight against misogyny and move forward for women, girls and our worldGuterres noted.