Report on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment

By
Iqra Riaz Ud Din
-
137
Gender Equaliy
Gender Equality

Geneva, 13 January 2023 (TDI): The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) issued a report on progress made on the Strategic Plan 2018–2021. The report talks about the progress in women’s empowerment amid the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report highlights the achievements of UN-Women’s since its inception; and reflects on challenges, opportunities, and implications from the current changing development context.

 

Issues in COVID-19

COVID-19 in the year 2022 revealed that there are chronic structural weaknesses in the system that only exacerbated existing gender inequalities. Inequalities exist across all aspects of life, especially for the most vulnerable.

There occurred increased cases of violence by men against women and girls during the closure of economic activities. This phenomenon affected women and girls disproportionately as the visibility of women decreased in decision-making and representation in key institutions.

Responses of UN-Women

The responses of UN-Women focus on relief and collaborative long-term solutions that rested on specialized knowledge and expertise. That included publishing seminal data, developing highly influential expert policy briefs, urging action to address gender-based violence and support survivors, and make stimulus gender-responsive packages, and recognizing disproportionately high job losses for women.

UN-Women has done this with its 88 field offices. UN-Women ensured the continuity of business through which revenues exceeded $500 million.

Suppose given support to more than 95 countries and territories. It supported 95 countries and territories and achieved good performance for 83 percent of all assessable Strategic Plan indicators.

Significant progress in delivering more impactful results through a repositioned United Nations development system with a strong focus on gender equality in the United Nations framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19 and the related COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund.

UN-Women

The UN-Women was established in 2010 and started its operation in 2011; the agency has achieved significant results since then. It gained momentum in member states to strengthen global norms and standards and translate these norms into real change in the lives of women and girls.

Moreover, to enhance the coherence and impact of the work of the UN system on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Efforts of UN-Women

The issue of gender equality gained increased attention in a global environment. In 2015, UN-Women convened the first-ever meeting on gender equality and women’s empowerment at the level of Heads of State and Government.

In 2020, in the high-level meeting of the General Assembly on Beijing+25, more than forty leaders spoke about women’s equality.

The attention of media over the issue of gender equality and women’s empowerment increased in significant proportions. Gender equality is recognized as a critical factor in political processes, peacebuilding, and sustaining peace in the economy and other sectors.

Many global and regional intergovernmental organizations placed gender equality and women’s empowerment at the top of their agendas.

The proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments increased from 19 to 25 percent. The number of countries with gender-balanced parliaments more than tripled, while the number of countries with severe women’s underrepresentation almost become half.

The share of peace agreements with specific provisions to improve the security and status of women and girls increased from 22 to 25 percent. The share of resolutions adopted by the General Assembly that integrate gender perspectives increased from 37 percent to 47 percent.

Moreover, bilateral aid targeting gender equality in fragile or conflict-affected situations increased from $12.1 billion in 2011-2012 to 20.5 billion dollars in 2017–2018. Additionally, 30 countries adopted and implemented legislated gender quotas and constitutional provisions to increase women’s representation in national parliaments and local governments.

Furthermore, over 25 constitutional reforms supported strengthening women’s rights, and more than 24,000 aspiring women leaders and political candidates enhanced their campaigning and other skills.

National Development Strategies integrated gender equality focus in 55 countries, and 98 countries developed and implemented gender-responsive policies, plans, and budgets.

Similarly, 80 countries strengthened national statistical systems and data collection to track gender equality and 89 countries got stronger legal protection through over 700 legal reforms, half of which eliminated discriminatory laws.

About 75 countries are home to 2.6 billion women and girls that achieved stronger legal, regulatory, and policy environment on women’s economic empowerment. About 4,445 companies signed the Women Empowerment Principles, and about 100,000 women per year enhanced their skills to participate in the economy, including as entrepreneurs.

Also, some 125,000 rural women, along with nearly 400,000 family members, benefitted from greater access to sustainable livelihoods and climate-resilient technologies, and productive resources.

In gender-based violence, 96 countries strengthened legal and policy frameworks to prevent and respond to violence against women, and 85 improved access to quality support services against violence.

About 95 countries adopted National Action Plans on women, peace, and security, and a nearly three-fold increase in the allocation of funding to UN peacebuilding projects promoting gender equality as a principal objective, thanks to the establishment of a 15 percent target.

Moreover, more than 150 experts have been deployed to document sexual and gender-based violence in conflict and crisis settings, including every United Nations commission of inquiry.

The establishment of the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, now supporting 357 women’s organizations and the Elsie Fund to help deploy women to peace operations, and the WPS Focal Points Network (the largest network of WPS actors in government) now convening 89 Member States and regional organizations.

Furthermore, women’s mediator networks are established in most regions, including the African Women Leaders Network, and more than 2,600 local women’s organizations and networks are supported in 30 crisis settings.

New Strategic Plan 2022-2025

In 2020, UN-Women started developing its strategic plan for 2025; it covers four years of the Decade of Action to achieve the SDGs. The plan demands bold ambition and urgent progress toward gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The UN-Women’s Strategic Plan 2022–2025 would aim to increase the scale and impact of its work, by including more strongly leveraging its mandate in an integrated manner.

Also, tackling head-on the structural causes of gender inequality, for example, regressive social norms; expanding its recognition as a global thought leader, advocate, and knowledge hub; and continuously broadening and deepening partnerships and the constituency for joint results, including through a greater focus on its coordination mandate.