Global Issues: Gender Equality

Introduction

Half of the world's population is made up of women and girls, who also hold half of the world's potential. In addition to being a fundamental human right, gender equality is crucial for the creation of peaceful societies, the realization of all human potential, and sustainable development. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that empowering women boosts economic growth and productivity.

UN Women cautions that there is still a long way to go before men and women are treated equally in terms of rights and opportunities. Therefore, it is crucial to put an end to the various types of gender violence and ensure that men, women, and girls have equal access to good healthcare, education, financial resources, and political involvement. Equal access to employment, leadership roles, and decision-making positions at all levels must also be accomplished.

The greatest challenge to human rights in the world today, according to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, is achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls.

UN support for the rights of women began with the Organization's founding Charter.

The UN has supported women's rights since the Organization's founding Charter. "To achieve international cooperation... in promoting and fostering respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without difference as to race, sex, language, or religion" is one of the goals of the UN stated in Article 1 of its Charter.

The Economic and Social Council established the Commission on the Status of Women within the first year of the UN, making it the primary global policy-making organization solely focused on advancing women and achieving gender equality. One of its first successes was ensuring that the draft Universal Declaration of Human Rights contained language that was gender neutral.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights included gender equality as a part of international human rights law.

The UN General Assembly enacted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, incorporating gender equality into international human rights law. The foundational document in the history of human rights recognized that "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion,... birth or other status." It also stated that "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."

The General Assembly designated 1975 as the International Women's Year and planned the first World Conference on Women, which was held in Mexico City during the 1970s when the global feminist movement started to gain ground. It then established a Voluntary Fund for Decade at the Conference's recommendation and proclaimed the years 1976–1985 as the UN Decade for Women.

The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), also referred to as an International Bill of Rights for Women, was ratified by the General Assembly in 1979. The Convention expressly identifies gender discrimination in its 30 sections and lays out a plan for national action to abolish it. The Convention affirms women's reproductive rights for the first time in a human rights convention, focusing on how culture and custom shape gender roles and family relationships.

Global Feminism's Birth

The United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development, and Peace was reviewed and evaluated in a conference held in Nairobi in 1985. A parallel NGO Forum featured 15,000 representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), which was held at a time when the movement for gender equality had finally attained full worldwide prominence.

Many people referred to the occasion as "the birth of global feminism." The 157 participating states adopted the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies to the Year 2000 after realizing that the objectives of the Mexico City Conference had not been sufficiently achieved. Declaring all issues to be women's issues, the document made history.

The Fourth World Conference on Women, held in Beijing in 1995

The Nairobi Conference was followed up by the Fourth World Conference on Women, which took place in Beijing in 1995. Women's rights were affirmed as human rights in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and participants pledged to take specific steps to uphold those rights.

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)

The primary intergovernmental organization in the world devoted solely to advancing gender equality and women's empowerment is the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW plays a crucial role in advancing women's rights, capturing the realities of women's lives around the globe, and establishing international norms for gender equality and women's empowerment.

Single UN organization

On July 2, 2010, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly decided to establish a single UN organization with the mission of expediting the realization of gender equality and women's empowerment. The UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW), the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, and the UN International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women have all been merged into the new UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, or UN Women.

Women and the SDGs

The United Nations is currently concentrating its efforts on achieving the recently created 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). All of the SDGs place significant emphasis on women, and numerous targets expressly identify gender equality and empowerment for women as both the goal and a component of the solution.

Because it is focused on attaining these objectives, Goal 5, "Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls," is known as the stand-alone gender goal. In-depth legal and legislative reforms are required to guarantee women's rights globally. By 2014, a record 143 nations had enshrined the equality of men and women in their constitutions, while 52 more had not.

Strong gender differences still exist in the political and economic spheres. Despite considerable advances over the years, women still earn 20% less than males on the worldwide labor market on average. Only 25% of all national lawmakers were female as of 2021, a modest increase from 11.3 % in 1995.

The issue of violence against women continues to receive special attention from the UN system.

The issue of violence against women continues to receive special attention from the UN system. "A clear and comprehensive definition of violence against women [and] a clear description of the rights to be applied to ensure the elimination of violence against women in all its forms" were both included in the 1993 General Assembly Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It stood for "a commitment by States to uphold their obligations and a commitment by the international community at large to the elimination of violence against women."

All nations are affected by the epidemic of violence against women, including those that have made commendable advancements in other areas. Intimate relationship abuse involving physical and/or sexual assault or non-partner sexual assault has affected 35% of women worldwide.

The Spotlight Program, a global, multi-year initiative with a focus on eradicating all forms of violence against women and girls, was introduced in September 2017 as a result of cooperation between the European Union and the United Nations.

On November 25, we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

International Women's Day

Every year on March 8, we celebrate International Women's Day. At the beginning of the 20th century, labor movements in North America and Europe were the primary force behind the creation of International Women's Day. On this day, which is celebrated around the world, women's accomplishments are celebrated regardless of national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic, or political boundaries.

Other international days are observed by the UN in addition to International Women's Day and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women to raise awareness of many facets of the fight for gender equality and women's empowerment. International Day of Women and Girls in Science is observed on February 11, International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict is observed on June 19, International Widows Day is observed on June 23, International Day of the Girl Child is observed on October 11, and International Day of Rural Women is observed on October 15. These days are marked by a number of observances.

Using gender-inclusive language

Gender-inclusive language is a potent tool for promoting gender equality and eradicating gender bias since language has a significant influence on cultural and social attitudes.

Speaking and writing in a way that does not discriminate against a specific sex, social gender, or gender identity and does not support gender stereotypes is considered inclusive from a gender language perspective.

These Guidelines, which also include tools, are a helpful place to start for anyone looking to use gender-inclusive language. They were developed to assist United Nations workers in using it in all types of communication, whether it be spoken or written, formal or informal.