Secretary-General Says in Observance Message, Citing Outdated Attitudes, Entrenched Male Chauvinism
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for International Women’s Day, observed on 8 March:
Source: http://www.un.org/press/en/2017/sgsm18457.doc.htm
'Women’s rights are human rights. But, in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed. Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.
Historical imbalances in power relations between men and women, exacerbated by growing inequalities within and between societies and countries, are leading to greater discrimination against women and girls. Around the world, tradition, cultural values and religion are being misused to curtail women’s rights, to entrench sexism and defend misogynistic practices.
Women’s legal rights, which have never been equal to men’s on any continent, are being eroded further. Women’s rights over their own bodies are questioned and undermined. Women are routinely targeted for intimidation and harassment in cyberspace and in real life. In the worst cases, extremists and terrorists build their ideologies around the subjugation of women and girls and single them out for sexual and gender-based violence, forced marriage and virtual enslavement.
Despite some improvements, leadership positions across the board are still held by men, and the economic gender gap is widening, thanks to outdated attitudes and entrenched male chauvinism. We must change this by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world. Denying the rights of women and girls is not only wrong in itself, it has a serious social and economic impact that holds us all back. Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies and economies.
Women’s access to education and health services has benefits for their families and communities that extend to future generations. An extra year in school can add up to 25 per cent to a girl’s future income. When women participate fully in the labour force, it creates opportunities and generates growth. Closing the gender gap in employment could add $12 trillion to global gross domestic product by 2025. Increasing the proportion of women in public institutions makes them more representative, increases innovation, improves decision-making and benefits whole societies.
Gender equality is central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the global plan agreed by leaders of all countries to meet the challenges we face. Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls specifically for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and this is central to the achievement of all the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
I am committed to increasing women’s participation in our peace and security work. Women negotiators increase the chances of sustainable peace, and women peacekeepers decrease the chances of sexual exploitation and abuse. Within the United Nations, I am establishing a clear road map with benchmarks to achieve gender parity across the system, so that our Organization truly represents the people we serve. Previous targets have not been met. Now we must move from ambition to action.
On International Women’s Day, let us all pledge to do everything we can to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism, and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment."
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News Notebook:
Sen. Murray on President Trump’s Updated Executive Order: Still Un-American and Will Not Make Us Safer.
Source: http://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/newsreleases?ContentRecord_id=DB202DD8-5E80-458C-A041-6D2434B678FB
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) spoke out against President Donald Trump’s newly announced executive order to replace the executive order that was halted by a federal judge in Seattle, a decision that was then upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court.
“No matter how many games President Trump plays with the language of this executive order, it is clear that these attempts to slam the door on Muslim immigrants and refugees are un-American, they won’t make us any safer, and they are flat-out wrong. Millions of people across the country have stood up and made their voices heard to oppose this hateful and divisive ban in the weeks since President Trump first announced it—and we’re not going to give up now. President Trump should work with us to focus on actually keeping our families safe, not on dangerous, divisive, and hateful actions that betray our American values and would hurt women and children fleeing horrific violence across the world.”
Senator Murray strongly condemned President Trump’s original executive order on immigration announced in January, and met with a local family affected by the ban at Sea-Tac International Airport immediately after. Senator Murray co-sponsored two bills to block President Trump’s harmful ban on refugees, visitors, and immigrants. When the Ninth Circuit Court upheld a Seattle judge’s action to block the order, Sen. Murray called it “a victory for the millions of us in Washington state” who stood up and made their voices heard, calling the original executive order hateful, unconstitutional, and in no way reflecting our nation’s values. She also spoke on the Senate floor after the original executive order was announced, expressing deep concerns with the Trump administration’s policies, including the executive order.
