“Women’s rights are human rights,” said the UN deputy chief, recalling the positive atmosphere of the 1995 conference and the impact of the Declaration that “illuminated the path to progress,” and thanked China for hosting the event and the member states that “kept this flame alive.”
Despite the progress made over the past 30 years, the pace of change has been slow: a report published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) in September warned that none of the gender equality goals are on track, with around 708 million women excluded from the labor market by unpaid care work. And 351 million women and girls at risk of being trapped in extreme poverty by 2030.
“We are just five years away from the deadline for our 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” stated Ms. Mohammed. “It’s late. We are running out of time to fulfill the promise we made three decades ago.”
Beijing’s roadmap to equality
The deputy head of the UN recalled that the Declaration is a roadmap that has resonated in all major UN frameworks since its adoption, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Compact for the Future.
The agreement, she continued, demonstrated that women’s empowerment – including security and rights to education, health care and full political participation – must be central to the design of national visions and plans: “In every negotiating room, in every budget we prepare and in every policy we design, gender equality must be our organizing principle.”
There is a financial imperative to promote gender equality, as Ms Mohammed noted in her speech: UN studies show that by ensuring women and girls acquire quality education and digital skills, 30 million people could be lifted out of extreme poverty and some $1.5 trillion could be injected into the global economy in just five years.
The deputy UN chief concluded by focusing on the need to increase the number of women in leadership roles. “We have evidence,” she said, “that where women lead, we see longer-lasting peace, more profitable businesses, and more inclusive policies.”