WUNRN
Position
paper calls for freedom from violence, equality in capabilities and resources,
and women’s voice to be the cornerstones of a stand-alone gender equality goal
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The call for a transformative framework to achieve gender equality,
women’s rights and women’s empowerment comes in the midst of a global
conversation about the legacy and next steps after the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) — eight internationally agreed goals with a
timeline of 2015, which have been the blueprint for action to reduce poverty
since the year 2000. Intergovernmental and UN-led processes are currently under
way to inform and design a post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
With the MDGs set to expire in 2015, studies show that the goals have
spurred significant progress, but yielded uneven results, including continuing
lack of progress on reducing maternal mortality. About 800 women die every day
due to childbirth and other pregnancy-related complications. Other gaps
include: persistent gender wage gaps, with women being paid 10 to 30 per cent
less than men; low representation in parliaments, with only 1 in 5 legislators
being women; vulnerable employment, with nearly two-thirds of women largely
outside the protection of the law in 2011; and violence against women and girls,
with nearly in 1 in 3 women impacted during their lifetimes.
UN Women’s position paper emphasizes that the post-2015 agenda must
build on the achievements of the MDGs, while avoiding their shortcomings.
It underlines that for the realization of women’s rights, it is critical to
address the structural causes of gender inequality, such as the pandemic of
violence against women, unpaid care work, limited control over assets and
property, and unequal participation in private and public decision-making.
“Momentum is growing for gender equality and women’s empowerment and, in
recent weeks, we have seen increasing support for a goal on gender equality,
women’s rights and women’s empowerment in the post-2015 development agenda,”
said Lakshmi Puri, Acting Head of UN Women. “UN Women is putting forward this
paper as a contribution to this discussion, both as a synthesis and a starting
point for the mobilization needed to shape a new generation of development
goals. At the heart of our approach is the need to address structural causes of
gender discrimination and violence against women that continue to impede
progress for women and girls around the world. This is why we call for a
comprehensive stand-alone goal, as well as gender mainstreaming in all areas of
the new framework”, she added.
UN Women is proposing a stand-alone gender equality goal grounded in
human rights with an integrated approach that addresses three critical target
areas:
Along with the stand-alone goal, UN Women is also calling for
integration of gender equality concerns throughout the other priority areas of
the post-2015 development agenda.
A key feature of the MDGs was the inclusion of targets and indicators to
monitor performance. Echoing the broad consensus that this feature needs to be
retained and strengthened in the new framework, UN Women proposes indicators
under each target to monitor and evaluate change. These are based on
internationally agreed standards and have been chosen on the basis of their
relevance, methodological soundness and measurability.
Media Contacts: Oisika
Chakrabarti, +1 646.781.4522; oisika.chakrabarti@unwomen.org