Goal 5 - SDGs for All

UN Keen to Achieve Gender Equality Far Ahead of 2150

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — The international community has set the goal of achieving gender equality by 2030. But UN Women, a United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, maintains that "at the current rate of progress, gender equality will not be reached among Heads of Government until 2150, another 130 years".

This projection is based on the new data published ahead of the ten-day 65th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65).

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 14 March 2021

Photo credit: The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

Share of Women Parliamentarians Reaches 'All-Time High'

By Jamshed Baruah

GENEVA (IDN) — There is a long way to go to achieve gender parity. But a new report reveals that the share of women parliamentarians worldwide reached more than 25 per cent in 2020 marking a historic step. Women in Parliament report was launched on March 5 ahead of the International Women’s Day on March 8.

"It gives me great pleasure to announce that for the first time, women now account for more than a quarter of parliamentarians worldwide," Secretary-General of UN partner the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong said at the UN Office in Geneva. "The global average of women in parliament has now reached 25.5 per cent." 

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 06 March 2021

Gender Bias Against Women Career Scientists Upsets UNESCO

By Jaya Ramachandran

PARIS (IDN) — "Even today, in the 21st century, women and girls are being sidelined in science-related fields due to their gender," warns the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Director-General Audrey Azoulay.

Women need to know that they have a place in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and that they have a right to share in scientific progress, adds the UNESCO chief.

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 14 February 2021

Photo: Ambassador Chowdhury in a virtual address to the Israeli Knesset.

'If We Are Serious About Peace, We Must Take Women Seriously'

By Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury in New York

The following is the full text of the address by Ambassador Chowdhury at the Knesset of Israel on November 17, 2020, at 14:30 Israel Standard Time. He is former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations and initiator of the precursor decision leading to the UNSCR 1325 as the President of the UN Security Council in March 2000 at the Special Meeting of the Committee on the Status of Women and Gender Equality of the Israeli Knesset marking the 20th anniversary of UNSC Resolution 1325 with focus on the challenges, progress made, and way forward in its implementation.

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 16 December 2020

Photo: Ethiopian federal government's "final offensive" against Tigray regional forces. Credit: Ethiopian News Agency

African Women Stress the Need for a Horn of Africa Peace Initiative

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) – The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize to Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali "for his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighbouring Eritrea." The prize was also meant to recognise all the stakeholders working for peace and reconciliation in Ethiopia and in the East and Northeast African regions.

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 15 December 2020

Photo: A village near Thanesar in Kurukshetra, Haryana where the author met one of the women she spoke to. Credit: © Sreya Banerjea, 2016, Author provided.

Three Women: Stories of Indian Trafficked Brides

Viewpoint by Sreya Banerjea*

LONDON (IDN) – “I tried to escape in the middle of the night,” Mahira** recalled. “With a small packed bag, I tiptoed towards the door thinking that he was asleep. Suddenly, he grabbed me from behind and attacked with a cutlass.” I sat, stunned, as she lifted her saree and revealed a wide scar below her knee.

In north India, there is a particular history of purchasing brides from other states due to the “male marriage squeeze”: there is an excess of eligible men but not enough local women for marriage. This is caused by an imbalanced child sex ratio caused by sex-selective abortion and female foeticide.

: IDN-INPS Editor; Goal 5; 03 October 2020

Photo: In Chad and other countries where it is working, SWEDD-The Swedish Development Aid Organization has already provided professional training to almost 100,000 women so they can pursue income-generating activities. Credit: Vincent Tremeau/The World Bank.

Beijing +25: Overcoming 21st Century Challenges to Deliver for Africa's Women

Beyond legislation, countries must tackle negative social norms and rising bias.

Viewpoint by Angela Lusigi *

NEW YORK (IDN) – The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signed in 1995 committed the world to ending discrimination, promoting women’s rights and advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This Platform for Action remains a guiding framework for realizing women’s rights. African countries have responded by translating commitments to action in twelve critical areas of concern including environment, decision making, the girl child, economy, poverty, violence, human rights, education, institutions, health, media, and armed conflict through continental, regional and national frameworks.

: Ramesh Jaura; Goal 5; 28 September 2020

Photo: The Indian government is apparently trying to find some mechanism for informal sector workers. Credit: Press Trust of India (PTI).

India's COVID-19 Experience May Usher in a More Humane World for Women and Informal Sector Workers

Viewpoint by Lakshmi Lingam*, Tata Institute of Social Studies

MUMBAI (IDN) – Women in India spend 297 minutes on unpaid domestic work each day, 245 minutes more than men who contribute only 52 minutes. Women’s work is not accounted for in the national accounting system, making their contributions unrecognised and unvalued.

An Oxfam report observes that the unpaid work of Indian women plays a crucial role in sustaining economic activity, equivalent to 3.1 per cent of GDP. Economic and social challenges, including domestic violence, dowry at the time of marriage and the trafficking of women, coalesce to sustain and perpetuate gender inequalities in India.

: Ramesh Jaura; Goal 5; 19 August 2020

UN Women Bashed for Indiscriminate Partnership with Unilever

Viewpoint by Sharanya Kanikkannan

The writer is Legal and Policy Adviser at AIDS-Free World and its Code Blue Campaign.

NEW YORK (IDN) – Like so many Indian girls, I learned at an early age that light skin was feminine, precious, and desirable.

Pink tubes of Fair & Lovely cream—a product that comprises 40 per cent of the skin lightening market in India—were a staple of my childhood, tucked away in dressing table drawers in every home and displayed on the shelves of every corner store. Looking back, I wonder why so many adults failed to imagine a world where girls were more than a “pantone” shade on a plastic tube.

: Ramesh Jaura; Goal 5; 13 August 2020

Photo: Health workers demonstrate proper handwashing to a child at a community health centre in Central Java, Indonesia. © UNICEF/Fauzan Ijazah © UNICEF/Fauzan Ijazah

"Target Women in All Aspects of Economic Recovery and Stimulus Plans in Southeast Asia"

Viewpoint by António Guterres

Following is the text of remarks by UN Secretary-General on the occasion of his latest policy brief titled The Impact of COVID-19 on South-East Asia. It examines how the eleven countries of South-East Asia are addressing the immediate impacts of COVID-19, focusing on the subregion’s socio-economic response.

NEW YORK (IDN) – As in other parts of the world, the health, economic and political impact of COVID-19 has been significant across Southeast Asia — hitting the most vulnerable the hardest.