Energy, talent and strength of women are untapped natural resources
- Ban KiMoon
“In 1975, during International Women’s Year, the United Nations began
celebrating March 8 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. For the United Nations,
International Women’s Day has been observed on 8 March since 1975.
The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the Secretary
General” states UN Secretary General Ban ki - Moon in a message to mark
International Women’s Day which falls today.
“Gender equality and the empowerment of women are gaining ground
worldwide. There are more women Heads of State or Government than ever,
and the highest proportion of women serving as Government ministers.
Women are exercising ever greater influence in business. More girls are
going to school, and are growing up healthier and better equipped to
realize their potential.
“Despite this momentum, there is a long way to go before women and
girls can be said to enjoy the fundamental rights, freedom and dignity
that are their birthright and that will guarantee their well being.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in the world’s rural areas. “Rural
women and girls - to whom this year’s International Women’s Day is
devoted – make up one quarter of the global population, yet routinely
figure at the bottom of every economy, social and political indicator,
from income and education to health to participation in decision-making.
“Numbering almost half a billion small holder farmers and landless
workers, rural women are a major part of the agricultural labour force.
They perform most of the unpaid care work in rural areas. Yet rural
women continue to be held back in fulfilling their potential.
“If rural women had equal access to productive resources,
agricultural yields would rise by four percent, strengthening food and
nutrition security and relieving as many as 150 million people from
hunger. Rural women, if given the chance, could also help end the hidden
development tragedy of stunting, which affects almost 200 million
children worldwide.
“Discriminatory laws and practices affect not just women but entire
communities and nations. Countries where women lack land ownership
rights or access to credit have significantly more malnourished
children. It makes no sense that women farmers receive only five percent
of agricultural extension services. Investing in rural women is a smart
investment in a nation’s development.
“The plight of the world’s rural women and girls mirror that of women
and girls throughout society – from the persistence of the glass ceiling
to pervasive violence at home, at work and in conflict, from the
prioritization of sons for education to the hundreds of thousands of
women who die each year in the act of giving life for want of basic
obstetric care.
“Even those countries with the best records still maintain disparity
in what women and men are paid for the same work, and see continuing
under-representation of women in political and business decision-making.
“On this International Women’s Day, I urge governments, civil society
and the private sector to commit to gender equality and the empowerment
of women – as a fundamental human right and a force for the benefit of
all.
“The energy, talent and strength of women and girls represent
humankind’s most valuable untapped natural resource”.
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