UN, EU support local efforts to step up gender equality

Written by DAILY NEWS Reporter

UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Alvaro Rodriguez addressing the public in Morogoro.

WHEN marking the International Women’s Day, the United Nations and the European Union were celebrating the progress made towards women’s rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality and reaffirmed their commitment to support implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

International Women’s Day was celebrated globally on March 8, this year, as is the case annually under the international theme “Empowering Women, Empowering Humanity: Picture It!” and the Tanzania national theme “Make it Happen.

Equality for Women: Progress for All! This year International Women’s Day and the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (9 – 20 March, 2015) focus on the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

Considered the most comprehensive blueprint on advancing women’s rights, the 1995 Beijing roadmap was adopted by 189 governments. But 20 years on, the commitments made are only partially fulfilled.

The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr Alvaro Rodriguez who participated in some of the events during the Beijing Conference said that while there have been many achievements since then, many serious gaps remain in achieving the Platform’s goals.

“Now is the time to uphold women’s achievements and build on them further, recognise challenges and focus even greater attention on women’s rights and gender equality.

The Beijing Platform for Action focuses on 12 critical areas of concern and envisions a world where each woman and girl can exercise her choices, such as participating in politics, getting an education, having an income and living in societies free from violence and discrimination,” said Mr Rodriguez.

Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment are also at the core of the founding values of the European Union (EU) and the EU is committed to mainstreaming gender principles in all its actions emphasised Ambassador Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, the Head of the EU Delegation to Tanzania.

“Equality between women and men is one of our founding values and we pursue this both within and outside European borders.

We believe that gender equality is a matter of social justice, but also of ‘smart economics’- women’s participation in the economy is essential for sustainable development and economic growth,” said the ambassador.

UN Women Country Representative, Ms Anna Collins-Falk, commended Tanzania’s legislation and progressive stance on a range of gender equality and women’s empowerment issues but urged the government and other partners to step up enforcement and implementation of these laws and policies to safeguard the equal rights and promote opportunities for all women and girls in Tanzania.

For too many women and girls, not enough has changed, she said. She further encouraged more women to step forward and take on leadership roles and contest for public office, during this year of national elections.

The United Nations and the European Union in Tanzania through partnerships with the Government of Tanzania, development partners and non-governmental organisations support national priorities on women’s rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment in areas such as leadership and participation of women and youth, women’s economic empowerment and access to services, governance, law reviews and access to justice for women and girls, combating violence against women and girls and gender responsive budgeting.

The EU and the UN, under the Democratic Empowerment Programme (DEP), together with other development partners and civil society support women’s leadership and political participation including the right to vote and to stand for election.

Studies show that for every one additional year of education for women, child mortality decreases by 9.5 per cent.Equalizing access to resources and services for women farmers would boost output and eliminate hunger for 150 million people.

A billion women will enter the world economy in the next decade. With equal opportunities, their impact on our future prosperity will be a global game-changer.

This year the United Nations, the European Union and other development partners were part of the national celebrations for International Women’s Day in Morogoro Region from March 5 to 8. The UN and EU ran a picture competition for young people through UN Clubs, the Youth of United Nations and the United Nations Association.

A special ‘Remembering the Buzz of Beijing’ meeting will be held at the conclusion of the Commission on the Status of Women to continue the momentum and urge Tanzania to commit to intensify efforts to advance women’s rights, empowerment and gender equality.

In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women’s Day.

Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

This year, International Women’s Day was commemorated at UN headquarters in New York on March 7, on the eve of the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59), which begins on March 9.