UN Women has recently launched a new paper contributing to the ongoing debate on the post-2015 development agenda. Entitled “A Transformative Stand-Alone Goal on Achieving Gender Equality, Women’s Rights and Women’s Empowerment: Imperatives and Key Components,” the paper lays out a vision for a transformative framework that addresses the structural impediments to gender equality and the achievement of women’s rights. The paper is available for download on the UN Women website.
In order to address the structural causes of gender-based discrimination and the paper suggests a standalone gender quality goal in the post-2015 development framework that addresses three critical target areas (quoted from the paper’s executive summary):
Freedom from violence against women and girls. Concrete actions to eliminate the debilitating fear and/or experience of violence must be a centrepiece of any future framework.
Gender equality in the distribution of capabilities – knowledge, good health, sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights of women and adolescent girls; and access to resources and opportunities,including land,decent work and equal pay to build women’s economic and social security.
Gender equality in decision-making power in public and private institutions, in national parliaments and local councils, the media and civil society, in the management and governance of firms, and in families and communities.
Additionally, the paper proposes a set of indicators to monitor progress in each of the three target areas.
UN Women would like feedback on their paper, and here’s where you can add your voice to the conversation: Go to UN Women’s online consultation space on the World We Want platform, create a user profile, look through the report and then respond to various questions that will be posted online each week. If you participate in UN Women’s consultation, please let us at Ecumenical Women know by either emailing us at ecumenicalwomen@gmail.com or by commenting on this post. Thanks so much!