Inequality for All Women Underway
Delivering a message for International Women Day 2014, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nation’s Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of Un Women, said that they join in with people of the world to celebrate the progress made for women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality. She also acknowledged that the progress has been on a snail speed noting that some women and girls have faced new and complex difficulties.
She stated that the International Women’s Day is thus a day for recommitting themselves to working harder for gender equality, together as women, men youth and leaders of all countries, communities, religion and commerce.
Phumzile noted that they can help in solving the greatest challenges of the 21st century facing many women in the world and come up with lasting solutions by acting decisively through the knowledge of empowering women and girls and supporting their full participation. Through such a move, she said that challenges including violence against women, insecurity, poverty, and inequality will be significantly addressed.
She pointed that women spend the majority of their earnings on the well-being of their children and family, adding that increasing the women’s labor force participation will enhance economic development sustaining and noticeably reducing poverty across the globe.
Women empowerment approaches included:
- Empowerment of women in order to play their full roles in the society and build stronger families, communities, and democracies can be attainable through proper education of the girl child and keeping them longer in schools.
- Through the advancement of equal opportunities and removal of structural barriers to women economic empowerment, will significantly reduce inequality and spark economic development.
- To build a more just, safe and peaceful world, women opt to be equally represented in leadership positions in peacemaking, communities, politics, business, and religious institutions.
- To engage humanity in tasks that are responsibilities for all, women should work together with men and boys.
Phumzile noted that during this year’s celebrations of International Women’s Day, they should bear in mind and celebrate the women who led in trade unions on such a day over a century ago, and who called for better working conditions, peace and bread, noting that their calls are still valid up to date.
Sighting that the process has been very slow, she called on women to continue seeking for change. She also noted that they took much pride and achievements made following past summits that have seen some women working, are in leadership, fewer die in pregnancies, and more girls are in school.
Noting that no country in the world has achieved gender equity, she called for continued strife concluding that equality for women will amount to progress for all.
