Архивы Women — Human Rights & Charity

Silence the guns, amplify women’s voices for peace to end rape in wartime

Presenting her annual report, Pramila Patten, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, noted that weapons continue to flow into the hands of perpetrators while most victims remain emptyhanded when it comes to reparations and redress.

“The essential, existential task we face is to silence the guns and amplify the voices of women as a critical constituency for peace,” she said.

An underreported crime

The report covers incidents, patterns and trends across 21 situations of concern, including Israel and Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti, Myanmar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

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She said the rise in recorded cases was particularly alarming in a global context where humanitarian access remains severely restricted and constrained.

Most cases, 95 per cent, involved women and girls. In 32 per cent of the incidents, children, overwhelmingly girls, were victims, while 21 cases were found to target lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons.

While the report conveys the severity and brutality of these incidents, she stressed that it does not reflect the global scale or prevalence of what is a chronically underreported, historically hidden crime.

“We know that for every survivor who comes forward, many others are silenced by social pressures, stigma, insecurity, the paucity of services and the limited prospects for justice,” she said.

Gaza conflict

For the first time, the report contains a dedicated section on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

In the wake of the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel, the Government invited Ms. Patten to visit the country. She and her team confirmed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that conflict-related sexual violence occurred in at least three locations and that sexual violence was committed against individuals held as hostages, which may be ongoing.

They also visited the occupied West Bank where, according to UN-verified information, the arrests and detention of Palestinian women and men by Israeli security forces following the October attacks have often been accompanied by ill-treatment, including forms of sexual violence. Similar allegations have emerged from Gaza, she added.

“These findings in no way justify or legitimise further hostilities, and I continue to echo the calls of the Secretary-General for a humanitarian ceasefire to end the unspeakable suffering of Palestinian civilians and to bring about the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” she said.

Access and impunity

The report documents how sexual violence has curtailed women’s access to livelihoods and girls’ access to education amid record levels of displacement.

“For instance, in eastern DRC, the climate of interlinked physical and food insecurity has driven many displaced women and girls into prostitution out of sheer economic desperation,” she said.

Meanwhile, “sexual violence perpetrated with impunity remains profitable in the political economy of war,” she noted. For example, armed groups in Haiti continue to generate revenue and use the threat of sexual violence to extort even higher ransoms.

Survivors silenced

The report lists 58 parties that are credibly suspected of committing or being responsible for sexual violence, mainly non-State actors. Over 70 per cent are “persistent perpetrators”, meaning they have appeared on the list for five or more years.

Another trend has been the “unprecedented level of lethal violence” to silence survivors of sexual assault, including reports from the DRC and Myanmar of rapists subsequently killing their victims. Armed actors have also threatened healthcare workers in Sudan, while human rights defenders in South Sudan, DRC and elsewhere have faced reprisals.

“Across time and space, we see that the availability of weapons directly facilitates these attacks,” Ms. Patten said.

Hope on the horizon

Stressing that “we cannot address sexual violence without shifting power dynamics,” she called for greater women’s participation, weapons regulation and embargoes, financial support for human rights defenders and change on the ground.

“Women in the war-torn corners of our world need to see hope on the political horizon,” she said.

“Our words, deeds and decisions in this Chamber and beyond must give them cause for hope and must contribute to peace with justice, peace with gender equality, peace with dignity and development, peace that endures.”

Violations of women’s reproductive health rights trigger rise in preventable deaths

Interwoven Lives, Threads of Hope: Ending inequalities in sexual and reproductive health and rights, reveals that more than half of all preventable maternal deaths occur in countries which are in a state of crisis or distress.

It highlights the role that racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination play in blocking progress on sexual and reproductive health issues.

Women and girls trapped in poverty are more likely to die prematurely due to lack of sufficient healthcare if they belong to minority groups or are trapped in a conflict setting, according to the findings.

Overall, there have been significant advances in sexual and reproductive health it became a global sustainable development priority three decades ago.

“In the space of a generation, we have reduced the unintended pregnancy rate by nearly one fifth, lowered the maternal death rate by one third, and secured laws against domestic violence in more than 160 countries,” UNFPA Executive Director Natalia Kanem said, launching the report.

Stalled progress

But progress is slowing down or stalled in several key areas. In a world where a quarter of women cannot say no to sex with their partner and nearly one in 10 have no say over contraception, 800 women die every day giving birth – a disturbing figure that has remained unchanged since 2016.

Nearly 500 of those preventable deaths per day are happening in countries living through humanitarian crises and conflicts.

“The world made zero progress in saving women from preventable deaths in pregnancy and childbirth,” said Ms. Kanem, adding that for the first time, data was collected on whether women’s bodily autonomy is strengthening over time.

In 40 per cent of countries where information is available, autonomy is weakening due to an inability to reach “those furthest behind”, she added.

There is a clear disparity between the global North and South, West and East, when it comes to contraceptives, safe birth services, respectful maternity care, and other essential services, the report documents.

Pockets of inequality

Yet, even within those regions there are “pockets of inequality”, the report underscores. Women of African descent in the Americas face higher maternal mortality rates compared to white women, which is especially evident in the United States where it’s three times the national average.

Indigenous and ethnic minorities also face elevated risks related to pregnancy and childbirth.

Within Europe, in Albania, for example, over 90 per cent of Roma women from the most marginalized socioeconomic groups had serious problems in accessing healthcare compared with only five per cent of ethnic Albanian women from the most privileged strata.

Additionally, women with disabilities are up to ten times more likely to experience gender-based violence, and individuals of diverse sexual orientation and gender expression encounter significant violence and barriers to care.

No ‘one-size-fits-all’ solutions

The report highlights the importance of tailoring programmes to the needs of communities and empowering women and girls to craft and implement innovative solutions.

It also calculates that if additional $79 billion are invested in low and middle-income countries by 2030, 400 million unplanned pregnancies could be averted, a million lives saved and $660 billion in economic benefits could be generated.

The ability to secure reproductive health rights, the UNFPA Executive Director believes, is another major challenge.

“It is indeed the responsibility of men to be champions of women’s reproductive rights, of everyone’s reproductive rights,” Ms. Kanem said.

World News in Brief: ‘Reckless attacks’ on Ukraine nuclear plant must cease, Chibok abductions 10 years on, action against plant pests

Rafael Grossi told ambassadors that the first direct attacks since the Russian invasion began. earlier this month, on what is Europe’s largest nuclear facility, constituted a “step change increase in risk to nuclear safety and security”.

Although the damage from drone strikes on the Russian-occupied power plant’s Unit 6 reactor building was superficial, it sets “a very dangerous precedent of the successful targeting of the reactor containment”, said the IAEA Director-General.

‘Dangerously close’ to disaster

“We are getting dangerously close to a nuclear accident”, he added, and must “do everything in our power today” to minimize risk.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe

Rafael Mariano Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), briefs the UN Security Council meeting on Threats to International Peace and Security.

He assured ambassadors that IAEA staff are “continuously present” at the ZNPP and all other nuclear plants across Ukraine.

On Saturday, the so-called “cold shutdown” of all six reactors at the plant was carried out for the first time since late 2022, a move which had long been recommended by the atomic watchdog. The move builds in an extra level of safety were cooling systems to fail.

In the past 10 days there has been a drone strike on the oxygen and nitrogen production facility, two attacks on the training centre and a drone shot down above the turbine hall of Unit 6.

Both sides have blamed the other for targeting the plant.

“Let me put it plainly. Two years of war are weighing heavily on nuclear safety” at the plant, he said, and the IAEA’s work remains essential there.

“Despite huge challenges, the IAEA has kept open the indispensable lines of communication and will continue doing so. The support of your nations and of the Council as a whole is a necessity”, he said.

Step up child protection efforts UNICEF urges Nigeria, on 10^th anniversary of Chibok abductions

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Monday called on Nigeria to intensify child protection efforts, 10 years on from the mass Chibok abductions in the country’s northeast.

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Some 90 of the girls continue to be held captive, and just last month, another abduction of schoolchildren took place in Kaduna state.

UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Cristian Mundate, said the “kidnapping of the Chibok girls was a wake-up call to the severe risks our children face in their pursuit of education.” With even more recent abductions, she said there is an obvious need for amplified safeguarding of our children’s futures.

On Monday, UNICEF released the ‘Minimum Standards for Safe Schools (MSSS) Monitoring Report,’ which revealed that only 37 per cent of schools across 10 Nigerian states have early warning systems that can assist in identifying attacks.

This means much remains to be done to ensure Nigerian children can learn in a safe school environment.

Still an ‘unattainable dream’ for many

“Given these alarming statistics, we must address not only the symptoms but also the root causes of this crisis. Education is a fundamental right and a crucial pathway out of poverty. Yet, for too many Nigerian children, it remains an unattainable dream,” Ms. Mundane said.

UNICEF’s analysis examined six areas of concern across Nigerian states relating to school safety – a strong school system, violence against children, natural hazards, conflict, everyday hazards, and safe school infrastructure – and found that only a few had managed to boost standards.

UNICEF Nigeria is urging governments, partners, and international communities to help secure the right to education in a safe environment for all children.

Thus far, the agency has provided school grants, safety kits, training, and awareness raising to boost the implementation of school safety standards.

UNICEF says this ‘sombre anniversary’ of the Chibok abduction should prompt change so that together, “we can restore trust between educational institutions and the communities they serve, ensuring schools are sanctuaries for learning and growth,” said Ms. Munduate.

UNICEF is working with the Nigerian government to ensure every child has access to a safe learning environment.

Grower experts mull action to tackle spike in plant pests

A key UN taskforce that tackles plant pests and diseases gathered on Monday to brainstorm new measures to limit “irreversible” damage to the global food supply, as rising global temperatures threaten “unchecked” destruction of crops.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) panel’s work has been complicated by changing weather patterns and warmer growing conditions globally that have changed the geographic distribution and intensity of plant bugs and blight.

Early detection key

Early detection, rapid response and coordinated control efforts worldwide are indispensable, said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu.

The work of the FAO Commission on Phytosanitary Measures includes efforts to eradicate the banana fungus TR4; it has spiked because of climate change and caused yield losses affecting more than 400 million farmers.

Iran: Repression continues two years after nationwide protests

Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran – a group of Council-appointed independent experts – said that Ms. Amini’s death in September 2022 was “unlawful and caused by physical violence” for which the State is responsible.

Chairperson Sara Hossain told the forum’s 47 Member States that after Ms. Amini’s death, young women and schoolchildren “were at the forefront” of nationwide protests.

“The entire State apparatus was mobilised with security forces using firearms, including AK-47s and Uzis as we documented in some areas, resulting in injuries and deaths,” she said.

Acts of defiance

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There are “credible figures” that indicate there were 551 deaths, at least 49 women and 68 children, “and we found that those occurred in 26 out of the 31 provinces of Iran over multiple months”, the Mission found.

Ms. Hossain explained that many protesters “removed their hijab in public places as an act of defiance against long-standing discriminatory laws and practices”.

Men and boys joined in the protests in solidarity too, the Council heard, along with minorities who demanded equality.

”What we found was that security forces shot at protesters and also at bystanders at very short distances in a targeted fashion, causing injuries to their heads, necks, torsos, genital areas, but particularly to the eyes,” reported Ms. Hossain. “We found hundreds of protesters had these life changing injuries, with many of them now blinded and branded essentially for life marked as dissidents.”

Challenges gathering evidence

Despite the many challenges the Mission was facing, such as total lack of access to the country and no cooperation on the part of the Iranian Government, it was able to collect and preserve over 27,000 items of evidence.

It conducted a total of 134 in-depth interviews with victims and witnesses, including 49 women and 85 men, both inside and outside the country, and gathered evidence and analysis from experts on digital and medical forensics and on domestic and international law.

The human rights probe noted that 30 September 2022 had become known as “Bloody Friday” in Zahedan city after credible sources indicated that security forces had killed 104 protesters and bystanders, mostly men and boys.

The probe also took note of the Iranian Government’s claim that 54 security officers had been killed and many others injured.

Spike in executions, including children

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran also presented his report to the Human Rights Council on Monday.

Addressing the Geneva-based UN rights body, Javaid Rehman offered an overview of the most grave violations registered, which include a spike in death penalty sentences and executions, including children, and a continuous clampdown on women’s rights.

Now, at the end of his six-year tenure, Mr. Rehman has never been granted access to the country, despite frequent requests.

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Javaid Rehman, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran addresses the media. (file)

The Special Rapporteur stated that 834 people were executed in 2023, marking a 43 per cent rise from the previous year, with a significant portion related to drug offenses.

“Despite serious concerns expressed by my mandate and by the international community, children continued to be executed in Iran with at least one reported execution in 2023,” he said, adding that at least 23 women were executed last year.

He also raised concerns about the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities and the harassment and detention of human rights defenders, journalists and trade union activists.

Citing the violent suppression of protests in 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Ms. Amini, he described how public protests had grown into the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement.

State authorities had behaved “with complete impunity” and unlawfully killed hundreds of people, including dozens of women and children.

‘Chilling’ use of AI

Ms. Hossain told the Human Rights Council that the Fact-Finding Mission had received “chilling reports on the use by the State of artificial intelligence (AI), including through new mobile apps, to monitor and enforce compliance by women and girls with mandatory hijab rules,” explained Ms. Hossain.

The Special Rapporteur, too, criticized Iran’s enforcement of “gender segregation and draconian measures”, such as threatening unveiled women with vehicle confiscation and imposing harsh punishments, including flogging, for “improper veiling”.

Gains overshadowed by violations

Despite some positive steps, such as amendments to drug trafficking laws, widespread human rights violations persist, overshadowing progress. Urgent action is needed for Iran to uphold its international obligations, underscored the Special Rapporteur.

Rapporteurs and other rights experts appointed by the Human Rights Council are not UN staff and are independent of any government or organization. They serve in their individual capacity and receive no salary for their work.

First Person: Southern Madagascar, where girls are sold into marriage before they are born

The arranged marriage typically involves the exchange of a highly prized and culturally important Zebu cow for teenage girls as young as 13 years old.

Now two UN agencies UNICEF and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) are working together with the local authorities to educate women and also men, through sessions focusing on positive masculinity, about the dangers of the practice and how to treat women as equals.

Daniel Dickinson of UN News spoke to Lehilahy Modely, who joined one of the sessions in the village of Ifotaka, in the Amboasary district of the Anosy region of Madagascar.

“I am here today in a small village meeting space with about 30 other men to understand and discuss all the types of violence which are perpetrated against women and girls.

There is a selection of images we have to choose from to describe the different ways men are violent towards women. I have chosen an image which shows the outline of a man about to strike a woman, which has led to a discussion about physical harm. There are also images which depict sexual, psychological and economic violence as well as the maltreatment of children.

One of the biggest challenges I see in my region is the combination of economic violence and the abuse of the rights of girls even before they are born. Families which are normally very poor and vulnerable agree to exchange their unborn girl child for a Zebu cow.

The Zebu is very important in our culture as it is a sign of wealth and respectability. It is often at the centre of many traditions; for example, in certain ethnic groups as a rite of passage, boys are

forced to steal a cow before they can be accepted as a man in the community. A Zebu is normally sacrificed to mark a birth, a circumcision ceremony, a death or a marriage.

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Men meet once a month to discuss gender issues and how to act in a positive way towards women.

This practice is very common in the south of Madagascar and I have seen many teenage girls, some as young as 13, forced to leave their family and become the wife of an older man. This man may have other wives as well, as polygamy is also practiced here.

Girls who refuse this arrangement are often disowned by their family because of the shame it brings and I have heard some cases of girls committing suicide.

Culture and poverty

The man will often pay the maternity costs for his future child bride as well as supporting the family in other ways up until he receives the girl and presents the Zebu. Families engage in this exchange partly because of tradition but mainly because of poverty.

I am very frustrated to see this and I have a lot of empathy for these girls who have no choice and who are no longer able to carry on living like a child or even go to school.

We have talked about this in our positivity masculinity groups and most men understand that it is they who have to make the change because they are the actors of violence and subversion.

Too many of my friends see women as feeble and fragile, show little respect towards them and are not interested in hearing their views. Those friends consider me weak and joke that I am controlled by women, just because I try to promote their well-being and rights. Even though I disagree, I have remained friends with them.

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

Some of Madagascar’s most vulnerable communities live in the south of the island country.

We meet in this group once a month; the meetings also include information about how to report incidents of violence against children. These cases are referred to Centre Vonjy, an integrated care center for child victims of violence in the town of Fort Dauphin.

I do now see that some men recognize that we should change our attitudes and begin to think of women as having the same rights as we do which I believe will lead to equality.

Change will not come tomorrow, but men must do their best to end this culturally acceptable but illegal practice.”

Stories from the UN Archive: Hillary Clinton’s bold stand in Beijing

This #ThrowbackThursday, we go back to 1995, when then US First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton got an ovation at the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Ms. Clinton’s speech on 5 September 1995 was watched by attendees representing 189 countries and many more around the world.

“If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights, once and for all,” she declared, after which those in the conference room gave her a thunderous applause.

That sentiment – “women’s rights are human rights” – had never been voiced so prominently to a global audience and was immediately embraced as an international rallying cry for gender equality.

Using material from the UN archive, this production explores the historic Beijing conference as captured by UN media coverage.

Watch Ms. Clinton’s speech and more here.

Catch up on episodes from UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive playlist here, showcasing epic moments across the UN’s past, cultivated from the UN Audiovisual Library’s 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings, and read our accompanying series here. Join us next Thursday for another dive into history.

‘The patriarchy may be pushing back, but so are we’, UN chief tells CSW68

“After decades of progress, women’s rights are being undermined and reversed,” said Secretary-General António Guterres.

Pointing to several ominous examples, he said women’s rights are severely restricted in Afghanistan, sexual violence is being reported during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and the patriarchy is pushing back against hard-won rights women have striven to achieve.

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“The women of my generation did not win the fight for their rights only to see their daughters and granddaughters fight the same battle,” he said at the town hall meeting.

‘Equality requires investment’

From inequalities in political power to the male-dominated artificial intelligence field, Mr. Guterres said governments and civil society must work together to ensure efforts include women at the table – in peacebuilding, bridging the digital divide and ensuring gender equality.

“The patriarchy may be pushing back, but so are we,” he said, encouraging governments to “put their money where their mouth is” by funding equal rights and opportunities for women and girls.

“Equality requires investment,” the UN chief said, emphasizing the need to urge governments to take action to reduce poverty and inequalities.

In this regard, the Summit of the Future is a chance to advance progress, he said, adding that women and girls have been a constant priority in the planning process.

“I will never stop fighting for a world that works for women and girls,” he said. “The question is of gender equality is a question of power. In my experience, power is never given; power has to be taken.”

Over 50 women dying each day in Gaza

Among a plethora of events held on the sidelines of CSW68, a gathering on Wednesday morning saw UN agencies and partners lead a discussion on the situation of women and children in war-torn Gaza, which faces growing hunger alongside the ongoing besiegement, bombardment and invasion by Israeli armed forces responding to Hamas attacks on Israel in October.

Heli Uusikyla of the UN agency for Palestine, UNRWA, provided a grim snapshot of the current situation on the ground, saying that women and girls remain extremely vulnerable amid continued bombing and attacks.

Since the start of the conflict, more than 31,000 civilians have been killed, among them were 9,000 women and 13,000 children, she said, briefing participants on the humanitarian impact of the conflict. Every day, about 53 women are killed, she said, citing UN Women reports.

Unhygienic living conditions have seen the spread of disease, and overcrowding in shelters currently sees 888 people per toilet and 5,400 people for each available shower room.

“People go days without eating,” Ms. Uuikyla said, with 155,000 pregnant women facing malnutrition.

‘One step away from famine’

Providing a close look at the current situation, Laila Baker of the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, said that tens of thousands of pregnant or nursing women are unable to access the food they need and 180 give birth every day.

At the same time, malnutrition rates for children under two has risen from under one per cent in October to an unprecedented 15 per cent today, she reported.

“Hunger is a deadly threat at the moment; every day is a fight for survival,” she said. “More than half a million people are one step away from famine in a society where famine was unheard of.”

A family forced to evacuate their home in Gaza now live in a refugee camp in Rafah.

Ceasefire needed now

All efforts to address concerns of women and girls before October “have turned to dust”, she said, calling for the immediate, safe delivery of humanitarian aid, in line with the provisions of the order issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in January.

As UNFPA works tirelessly with partners, but some are under attack and medical staff lack the safe conditions, medicine and supplies to treat their patients.

“The only way to address that is to call for an immediate ceasefire,” she said, also calling for equal protection for all.

An estimated 7,000 delegates are participating in CSW68, which runs from 11 to 22 March. Read our explainer here and find out about the dozens of side events being held here.

SDG 5: EMPOWER ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS

End all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls
Eliminate such harmful practices as early and forced marriages and female genital mutilation
Adapt and strengthen legislation to promote gender equality and empower women and girls
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership in political, economic and public life
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health care

Globally, almost half of all married women currently lack decision-making power over their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

United Nations

SDG 5

UN chief calls for global action to defend women’s rights amid disturbing trends

Addressing the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the pivotal forum dedicated to promoting and safeguarding the rights of women and girls worldwide, Secretary-General António Guterres stressed the disproportionate impact of wars on women.

“In conflict zones around the globe, women and girls are suffering most from wars waged by men,” he said, urging immediate ceasefires and humanitarian aid.

He emphasized the appalling situation in Gaza, where over two-thirds of those killed and injured during Israel’s offensive are reportedly women and girls. He also noted shocking testimonies of sexual violence against Palestinian women in detention settings, house raids and checkpoints in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

In Israel, he added, last week’s report released by UN Special Representative Pramila Patten highlights horrific sexual violence against women and girls and indications of sexualized torture during the terror attacks launched by Hamas and other armed groups on 7 October.

Mr. Guterres also voiced concern over the situation faced by women in other countries, including Afghanistan and Sudan.

“In Afghanistan, the Taliban has issued more than 50 edicts suppressing women’s and girls’ rights. In Sudan, scores of women have reportedly been subjected to rape and other forms of sexual violence in the ongoing conflict,” he said.

Women peacemakers

Secretary-General Guterres stressed that despite evidence that women’s full participation makes peacebuilding much more effective, the number of women in decision-making roles is falling.

“The facts are clear: Women lead to peace,” he said, calling for more funding and new policies to boost women’s participation and investment in women peacebuilders.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Secretary-General António Guterres opens the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68).

Digital gender divide

The UN chief also emphasized a growing digital gender divide, noting the dominance of men in digital technologies, particularly in Artificial Intelligence.

He warned that male-dominated algorithms could perpetuate inequalities into various aspects of life, noting that women’s needs, bodies and fundamental rights are often overlooked in the design of systems by male leaders and technologists.

“It’s time for governments, civil society and the Silicon Valleys of the world to join a massive effort to bridge the digital gender divide and ensure women have decision-making roles in digital technology at all levels,” he urged.

Breaking glass ceilings

Mr. Guterres also drew attention to the pressing need for women to hold leadership roles, particularly in financial institutions.

He highlighted the stark gender disparity in finance, with over eight of ten finance ministers and more than nine out of ten central bank governors being men.

The Secretary-General emphasized that dismantling structural barriers is crucial for achieving gender parity in leadership roles.

“Overwhelmingly male-dominated financial institutions need to dismantle the structural barriers that are blocking women from leadership roles,” he said.

Drawing parallels with the UN’s successful achievement of full gender parity among senior management and leaders worldwide, he urged governments, banks and businesses to replicate these efforts, emphasizing that change does not happen by accident.

Call to action

The Secretary-General concluded his address by urging the international community to unite in the fight for gender equality, emphasizing that the CSW serves as a catalyst for transformative change.

He called for collaborative efforts to end poverty in all its dimensions.

“Let’s do it by investing in women and girls, betting on women and girls, and pushing for peace and dignity for women and girls everywhere,” Mr. Guterres said.

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

General Assembly President Dennis Francis addresses the opening of the sixty-eighth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68).

Equal access needed

The President of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, continued the call to action, highlighting the urgency of intensifying efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With the world currently lagging attaining the Goals, particularly the Goal to eradicate extreme poverty (SDG1), Mr. Francis revealed a stark reality:

“Currently, one in every ten women lives in extreme poverty – I repeat – one in every ten women,” he said.

Underscoring the need for a multidimensional approach, the Assembly President urged equal access to resources, gender-responsive social protection policies, and measures to end gender-based discrimination inhibiting women’s leadership and decision-making roles.

68th session

The 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women is taking place from 11 to 22 March at the UN Headquarters, in New York, under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Held every year, CSW is the largest global gathering of civil society representatives, government officials, policy makers and experts to take stock of progress on gender equality, discuss pressing issues and agree on actions to transform the lives of women and girls everywhere.

It consists of a wide range of meetings, panel discussions, interactive dialogues, ministerial round tables, intergovernmental negotiations and more.

International Women’s Day: UN chief launches plan to tackle ‘baked-in bias’

“Equality is overdue; to achieve it, we must match rhetoric with resources,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. “We must invest in women and girls, turbocharge progress and build a better world for us all.”

His new UN System-Wide Gender Equality Acceleration Plan “commits to placing women and girls at the centre of our work across the board”.

“We will support governments around the world to design and implement policies, budgets and investments that respond to the needs of women and girls.”

Pushback against global backlash

The new plan comes against a global backlash against women’s rights that is threatening and sometimes reversing progress in developing and developed countries alike, he said, pointing to such egregious examples as Afghanistan’s gender-based restrictions on school and work outside the home and The Gambia’s consideration of legalising the harmful practice of female genital mutilation.

“The global crises we face are hitting women and girls hardest, from poverty and hunger to climate disasters, war and terror,” he said.

Over the past year, horrific reports on the impact of conflict which effects women and girls around the world have emerged, from testimonies of rape and trafficking in Sudan to recent reports on sexual violence during the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.

On the latter crisis, he highlighted a report by his Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, on sexual violence and sexualised torture during the Hamas terror attacks in Israel, and reports of sexual violence against Palestinian detainees, at a time when maternity services are crumbling in war-torn Gaza, where women and children make up the majority of the over 100,000 now killed and injured.

Amid displacement and bombardment, more deliveries of care for women and girls is urgently needed, according to UNRWA, which provides hygiene kits at shelters like this one.

Countering bias

However, targeted programmes and quotas may be required to tackle “baked-in bias” and dismantle obstacles to equality, Mr. Guterres said, urging Member States at the forthcoming Summit of the Future in September to support proposals for metrics that go beyond gross domestic product (GDP).

GDP disregards domestic labour carried out by billions of women while complementary metrics provide a more comprehensive and balanced picture, he explained.

In addition, resolving gender bias in poverty is critical, he added.

Equality is ‘some 300 years away’

“At our current rate of change, full legal equality for women is some 300 years away,” as is the end of child marriage, the UN chief said.

By 2030, over 340 million women and girls will still be living in extreme poverty, some 18 million more than men and boys, unless action is taken now.

“That is an insult to women and girls, and a brake on all our efforts to build a better world,” he said. “We must drastically up the pace of change.”

Three priority action areas

Highlighting three priority areas for action to make investments in women and girls a reality, the Secretary-General said the first step is urgently increasing affordable, long-term finance for sustainable development.

The second step requires governments to prioritise equality for women and girls through such efforts as his newly launched plan and the final action area is to increase the number of women in leadership positions, which can help to drive investment in policies and programmes that meet the needs of women and girls.

Colombian coffee grower Deyanira Cordoba has learned about her economic rights and more from a UN Women project.

‘Poverty has a female face’

Also addressing the commemoration, UN Women’s Executive Director Sima Bahous said the UN’s values and principles “have never been as challenged as today”.

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“Poverty has a female face,” she said. “When more women are economically empowered, economies grow.”

Likewise, empowerment translates into helping families flourish alongside peace and justice for all, she said, stressing that “we need a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza now”, as more than 9,000 women have been killed in Israeli attacks.

Going forward, the Summit of the Future provides an opportunity for women’s voices to be heard and for further progress on their empowerment towards a more peaceful future for all, including every woman and every girl.

Deputy Secretary-General: ‘It’s enough’

Gender equality is “absolutely non-negotiable”, said Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed during a panel discussion.

“The atrocities, the tragedies, the burden of pain and sacrifice are every day,” she said. “We need to speak out on it and to really say ‘it’s enough’. It’s enough in Gaza. It’s enough in Sudan. It’s enough in Myanmar.”

Progress made in the last 30 years have been a “band-aid”, and action is needed to close the gender gap.

“When we say ‘peace and security’, we’re not in the rooms when peace is being discussed,” she said, “so how can you possibly find sustainable peace when those that suffer most from the absence of peace are not even in the room?”

To change that, women must be empowered, from peace negotiations to emerging innovative technology.

“We’ve got to be negotiating at the table,” she stressed.

Participants at a discussion on how women contribute to peace in their communities in Indonesia.

Moderated by NBC news anchor Richard Lui, today’s commemoration also featured open remarks by the UN General Assembly President, the chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (#CSW68), presentations by young entrepreneurs from Kenya and the United States, a panel discussion with the UN Deputy Secretary-General, the head of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita of the UN reproductive health agency, UNFPA, and performances by Rockers on Broadway and the UN International School (UNIS) senior choir. Actor Anne Hathaway also sent a video message to mark the day.

Watch the event on UN Web TV here.

Over 230 million women and girls subjected to female genital mutilation: UNICEF

Released on Friday, coinciding with International Women’s Day, the data compiled by UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) shows that the pace of progress against FGM remains slow and woefully off track to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending the practice by 2030 (SDG 5, target 5.3).

The global pace of decline worldwide would need to be 27 times faster to reach the target, said the agency.

FGM or cutting, is a practice that involves altering or injuring the female genitalia for non-medical reasons.

Worrying trend

“Female genital mutilation harms girls’ bodies, dims their futures, and endangers their lives,” said Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director.

“We’re also seeing a worrying trend that more girls are subjected to the practice at younger ages, many before their fifth birthday. That further reduces the window to intervene. We need to strengthen the efforts of ending this harmful practice.”

To eradicate FGM, UNICEF is calling on communities and leaders everywhere to step up their efforts to end gender discrimination and inequality, urgently invest in services for girls, prioritize girls’ rights in laws and policies, and better track the prevalence of FGM using reliable data.

In the South Kordofan state of Sudan, a 15-year-old girl is seen at home after returning from a community awareness session about FGM.

Volatile countries at risk

Although FGM is not becoming more common, the report revealed that the number of girls born in FGM-practicing countries is growing rapidly compared to the rest of the world.

The largest numbers are in African countries, accounting for 144 million cases, followed by 80 million in Asia and six million in the Middle East.

It added that four in ten FGM survivors live in impoverished or conflict-affected countries, which already have strained education and health services or where resources which could be used to address gender inequality are diverted towards crisis response.

Changing attitudes

While it’s a daunting challenge, the report also highlighted that progress is possible and the goal still attainable.

Half of the progress made in the last 30 years happened in just the past decade, UNICEF said, citing examples from Kenya, Sierra Leone and Egypt.

It also noted that attitudes around FGM are also changing.

According to the report, around 400 million people in practicing countries in Africa and the Middle East – or two-thirds of the population – are opposed to FGM.