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03 December 2023
Persons with disabilities face discrimination despite SDG promise: Guterres
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01 December 2023
COP28 talks open in Dubai with breakthrough deal on loss and damage fund
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30 November 2023
Secretary-General appoints Mr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Türkiye
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The Sustainable Development Goals in Türkiye
The Sustainable Development Goals are a global call to action to end poverty, protect the earth’s environment and climate, and ensure that people everywhere can enjoy peace and prosperity. These are the goals the UN is working on in Türkiye:
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03 December 2023
Persons with disabilities face discrimination despite SDG promise: Guterres
Persons with disabilities must be at the decision-making table and across countries’ efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - from poverty eradication, to health, education, and climate action.
That’s the message from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, observed on 3 December.
The 17 SDGs were adopted by world leaders in 2015 and have a 2030 deadline.
Mr. Guterres said achieving the goals requires living up to the promise to leave no one behind, especially the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities worldwide.
However, they continue to face systemic discrimination and barriers that restrict their meaningful inclusion in all areas of society.
“Truly sustainable development for persons with disabilities requires a laser-like focus on their needs and rights — not only as beneficiaries, but as active contributors across social, economic and political life,” he said.
The UN chief urged everyone “to work side-by-side with persons with disabilities to design and deliver solutions based on equal rights in every country and community.”

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01 December 2023
COP28 talks open in Dubai with breakthrough deal on loss and damage fund
Delegates meeting in Dubai agreed Thursday on the operationalization of a fund that would help compensate vulnerable countries coping with loss and damage caused by climate change, a major breakthrough on the first day of this year’s UN climate conference.
“Today’s news on loss and damage gives this UN climate conference a running start. All governments and negotiators must use this momentum to deliver ambitious outcomes here in Dubai,” said UN climate chief Simon Stiell during a press conference at which the announcement was made.
On X (formerly Twitter), UN Secretary-General António Guterres also welcomed the agreement to operationalize the fund calling it an essential tool to deliver climate justice. He urged leaders to support the fund and get COP28 off to a strong start.
The fund has been a long-standing demand of developing nations on the frontlines of climate change coping with the cost of the devastation caused by ever-increasing extreme weather events such as drought, floods, and rising seas.
Following several years of intense negotiations at annual UN climate meetings, developed nations extended their support for the need to set up the fund last year during COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.
Reportedly, Sultan al-Jaber, the President of the COP28 climate conference, has said that his country, the United Arab Emirates, would commit $100 million to the fund.
Germany has also reportedly pledged a contribution of $100 million to the fund. The United States and Japan have also announced contributions to the fund.
The 28th annual meeting known as ‘COP’ after the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Cli mate Change (UNFCCC), opened today and is scheduled to run through to 12 December.
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30 November 2023
Secretary-General appoints Mr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Türkiye
The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Mr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi of Nigeria as the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Türkiye, with the host Government’s approval.
Mr. Babatunde A. Ahonsi has 26 years of experience in international development acquired inside and outside the United Nations.
Prior to his current appointment, he served as the UN Resident Coordinator in Sierra Leone where he coordinated and facilitated the UN’s operational activities for development in the country. During his tenure he has led the UN country team and ensured system-wide accountability on the ground for the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. He has also coordinated UN support to Sierra Leone in its implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the UN Secretary General’s Prevention Agenda.
Prior to this, he served UN Resident Coordinator a.i. in China from June-September 2020. In addition, he served as UNFPA Representative in China/Country Director for Mongolia from January 2017-June 2020, and as UNFPA Representative in Ghana from 2014-2016. Between 1997 and 2014, he held senior management positions with the Ford Foundation (covering West Africa) and Population Council (covering Nigeria) overseeing reproductive health, women’s empowerment, and youth development programmes and initiatives. He had also lectured at federal universities in Ilorin, Calabar, and Lagos, Nigeria during the 1980s and 1990s.
Mr. Ahonsi holds a BSc (First Class Honors) degree in Sociology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria; and a Ph.D. in Population Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, England.
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29 November 2023
Guterres: It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-State solution
His message reads as follows:
"This International Day of Solidarity comes during one of the darkest chapters in the history of the Palestinian people. I am horrified by the death and destruction that have engulfed the region, which is overwhelmed with pain, anguish and heartache.
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering a humanitarian catastrophe. Almost 1.7 million people have been forced from their homes – but nowhere is safe. Meanwhile, the situation in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, risks boiling over.
I express my sincere condolences to the thousands of families who are mourning loved ones. This includes members of our own United Nations family killed in Gaza, representing the largest loss of personnel in the history of our organization.
I have been clear in my condemnation of the terror attacks by Hamas on 7 October. But I have also been clear that they cannot justify the collective punishment of the Palestinian people.
Across the region, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency is an indispensable lifeline, delivering vital support to millions of Palestinian refugees. It is more important than ever that the international community stands with UNRWA as a source of support for the Palestinian people.
Above all, this is a day for reaffirming international solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to live in peace and dignity.
That must start with a long-term humanitarian ceasefire, unrestricted access for lifesaving aid, the release of all hostages, the protection of civilians and an end to violations of international humanitarian law. We must be united in demanding an end to the occupation and the blockade of Gaza.
It is long past time to move in a determined, irreversible way towards a two-State solution, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law, with Israel and Palestine living side-by-side in peace and security with Jerusalem as the capital of both States.
The United Nations will not waver in its commitment to the Palestinian people. Today and every day, let us stand in solidarity with the aspirations of the Palestinian people to achieve their inalienable rights and build a future of peace, justice, security and dignity for all."
ENDS
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28 November 2023
Gaza: Aid reaches shattered north as UN chief hails 'glimpse of hope' in ceasefire extension
Desperate Gazans in the north of the enclave had their first sip of clean water in weeks on Monday as a continuing pause in fighting enabled broadening aid access to the Strip, UN humanitarians said.
"This aid barely registers against the huge needs of 1.7 million displaced people," a statement from the UN Secretary-General's office said on Monday, highlighting his call for a full humanitarian ceasefire. "The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is getting worse by the day.
Extended deal is 'glimpse of hope': UN chief
Asked by reporters at UN Headquarters in New York later in the day for his reaction to news that the Qatar-brokered ceasefire is due to extend for a further two days, Mr. Guterres said that it was "a glimpse of hope and humanity in the middle of the darkness of war.”
And as the UN emergency relief coordination office, OCHA, reported that people in the south were queuing for kilometres to obtain cooking gas and resorting to burning window frames and doors for cooking, it added that the four-day humanitarian pause agreed upon by Israel and Hamas has been “largely maintained”.
Under the agreement, Hamas released 17 more hostages taken during the armed group’s terror attacks in southern Israel on 7 October, bringing the total number of hostages released to 58, OCHA said. Some 117 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons have also been released since Friday
Meanwhile over the weekend new efforts to bolster Gaza’s devastated healthcare system came to fruition as a UN convoy transported life-saving vaccines from Gaza City to the south of the enclave, where they can be refrigerated.
Rescuing vaccines
OCHA said that on Sunday the joint UN convoy collected 7,600 doses of vaccines for various diseases from the Gaza Ministry of Health warehouse, where they would have become unusable due to a lack of refrigeration in the north, and successfully brought them to the south.
“After thorough inspections to ensure their validity, the vaccines will be utilized to enhance routine immunization, which has been hampered by a shortage of supplies and ongoing hostilities,” OCHA stressed.
‘Hunger, desperation and destruction’
Humanitarians reaching the north of the Strip for the first time since it was sealed off by Israeli military operations weeks ago bore witness to scenes of desolation. On Sunday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) conducted a joint mission to deliver vital food assistance to Al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City and to surrounding areas.
“It’s a promising step, but the team recounted painful stories from the people who haven’t received any aid in weeks,” WFP Representative in the occupied Palestinian territory Samer AbdelJaber, wrote on social platform X. “They saw hunger, desperation and destruction.”
On Saturday a UN health agency (WHO) and Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS)-led mission evacuated at least 17 patients and wounded people from Al-Ahli hospital along with 11 of their companions, to the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the patients were “suffering from gunshot wounds, amputations and burns”. He reiterated calls for a “sustained ceasefire”
Urgent food assistance
Aid convoys brought ready-to-eat food to four shelters run by the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in north Gaza’s Jabalia camp on Sunday, as well as tents, blankets and bottled water
“The convoys were carefully inspected by Israeli forces deployed at a checkpoint near Wadi Gaza before proceeding northwards,” OCHA said.
Since 24 November, WFP has managed to provide essential food assistance to 110,000 people in UNRWA shelters and host communities through the distribution of bread, food parcels, and electronic vouchers.
OCHA reported that food prices in Gaza have surged since the start of the conflict. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the price of wheat flour jumped by 65 per cent in October while that of mineral water doubled
‘Burning doors to cook’
Since the pause came into effect cooking gas has also been entering Gaza, but OCHA warned that the amounts “fall well below the needs”.
The UN Office reported two-kilometre queues at a filling station in Khan Younis in the south of the Strip, with people waiting overnight, while those unable to secure cooking gas were “burning doors and window frames to cook”.
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28 November 2023
Hopes for a sustainable planet must not ‘melt away’: Guterres
World leaders at this week’s climate conference, COP28, must break the deadly cycle of global warming before a “deadly tipping point” is reached, said the UN chief on Monday
UN Secretary-General António Guterres was briefing reporters in New York after seeing for himself over the weekend the “profoundly shocking” speed at which ice is melting in Antarctica – three times faster than the rate in the early 1990s
New figures reveal that sea ice at the South Pole is now 1.5 million square kilometres below average for this time of year; that’s equal to the combined surface area of Portugal, Spain, France and Germany combined.
Nowhere to hide
“What happens in Antarctica doesn’t stay in Antarctica”, Mr. Guterres said. “We live in an interconnected world. Melting sea ice means rising seas. And that directly endangers lives and livelihoods in coastal communities across the globe.
He noted that it’s not just the impact of floods and saltwater on food and water supplies at stake, but the viability of small islands and entire cities on coasts across the world.
“The movement of waters around Antarctica distributes heat, nutrients and carbon around the world, helping to regulate our climate and regional weather patterns”, he told correspondents outside the Security Council.
“But that system is slowing as the southern Ocean grows warmer and less dense. Further slowdown – or entire breakdown – would spell catastrophe.”
‘Calamitous’ rise
With no let-up in fossil fuel extraction “we’re heading towards a calamitous three-degree Celsius temperature rise by the end of the century”, he warned.
"If we continue as we are, and I strongly hope we will not, the Greenland and West Antarctica ice sheets will cross a deadly tipping point.”
This represents an astonishing rise of around 10 metres.
The vicious cycle means accelerated heating as ice diminishes and more extreme weather.
At COP28 in Dubai, which starts later this week, “leaders must break this cycle”, the UN chief declared.
The solutions are there
“The solutions are well known. Leaders must act to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, protect people from climate chaos, and end the fossil fuel age.”
Only a global pact to triple renewable energy use, a doubling in energy efficiency and access to clean power for all by 2030, will be sufficient, he argued.
“Antarctica is crying out for action”, the Secretary-General added. “I salute the thousands of researchers – in Antarctica and around the world – expanding our understanding of the changes taking place on the continent.
“They are testament to human ingenuity and the immense benefits of international collaboration. Leaders must not let the hopes of people around the world for a sustainable planet melt away.”
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Press Release
24 November 2023
UN Women marks 16 Days of Activism with #NoExcuse for violence against women campaign
Violence against women and girls remains one of the most prevalent and pervasive human rights violations in the world. Despite many countries passing laws to combat violence against women, weak enforcement and discriminatory social norms remain significant problems. Globally, an estimated 736 million women — almost one in three — have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign, which kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day, calls for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
This year, the United Nations marks 16 Days under the theme UNiTE! Invest To Prevent Violence against Women & Girls. By using #NoExcuse as a slogan and hashtag, the campaign calls for financing different prevention strategies and transforming social norms to end violence against women and girls.
UN Women Türkiye’s #NoExcuse campaign underlines the importance of legal frameworks
Aligned with the global campaign, UN Women Türkiye launches #NoExcuse campaign to emphasize that violence against women cannot be tolerated under any circumstances, anywhere, and any time.
Throughout the 16 Days of Activism and beyond, #NoExcuse campaign underlines the importance of protective legal frameworks and calls for the effective implementation of laws to prevent violence against women. The campaign declares #NoExcuse for any forms of violence and violence against women is a human rights violation.
“As we launch the #NoExcuse campaign, we affirm our commitment to build a world where there is no violence against women and girls. The campaign this year aims to raise public awareness about the current legislation in Turkiye, to call for its effective implementation and for its further strengthening, on the basis of the international standards and recommendations. Throughout the 16 Days of Activism and beyond, together with our partners from civil society and public institutions, we will show that when implemented well, laws can protect and transform lives. We will emphasize the importance of knowledge among women and society as a whole on how they can exercise their rights, and the need for a multi-stakeholder approach to effective implementation of policies and laws, in which public institutions and women’s civil society organizations work in close collaboration,” says Asya Varbanova, UN Women Türkiye Country Director.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Türkiye, Ambassador Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut, welcomed the launch of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence: “Eliminating violence against women and advancing women’s rights and gender equality is at the top of European Union’s agenda, both internally and in our partner countries.”
UN Women Türkiye Launches #NoExcuse Campaign with an event in Ankara
The #NoExcuse campaign will be launched with an event in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to Türkiye on 24 November 2023 in Ankara. The event will bring together civil society organizations, government officials, diplomatic representatives, and the media to express solidarity and commitment to end all forms of violence against women and girls.
At the event representatives from civil society organizations and youth will take the stage to say “No Excuse” to any forms of violence. Women-led civil society organizations will not only express their manifests and commitment to ending violence against women but also share how they have played a pivotal role in transforming the lives of women survivors.
As part of the launch event, an art performance will be showcased in collaboration with the artist and lawyer Kutlay Evrensel (@kutlayus). The artwork, curated in real-time, aims to highlight the importance of legal frameworks using key terminology.
Key facts from the world
Globally, an estimated 736 million women have been subjected to physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, or both, at least once in their life.
1 in 3 women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.
In 2021, around 45,000 women and girls worldwide were killed by their intimate partners or other family members. This means that, on average, more than five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.
Intimate partner violence is the most common form of violence against women, affecting women across diverse backgrounds and cultures.
Less than 40 per cent of women who experience violence seek help of any sort.
Violence against women not only causes immense physical harm but also leads to severe psychological and emotional trauma.
A global study by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that 38 per cent of women have had personal experiences of online violence, and 85 per cent of women who spend time online have witnessed digital violence against other women.
According to the Rapid Gender Assessment surveys (RGAs) on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 conducted by UN Women in 58 countries, 45 per cent of women reported that they or a woman they know has experienced a form of VAW since COVID-19
Key facts from Türkiye: (2014 Research on Domestic Violence against Women in Turkey)
4 of 10 women are exposed to intimate partner physical or sexual violence
Only 1 of 10 women exposed to violence apply to an institution for help;
3 of 10 women are married before they turn 18;
48 per cent of girls married by age 18 are exposed to physical violence;
11 per cent of women are prevented from working by their families;
90 per cent of human trafficking victims in Türkiye are women.
For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
Ebru Demirel, ebru.demirel@unwomen.org
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Press Release
01 November 2023
Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children
GENEVA, 31 October 2023 – “From the earliest days of the unprecedented hostilities in the Gaza Strip, UNICEF has been forthright on the need for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, for the aid to flow and for children abducted to be released. Like many others, we have pleaded for the killing of children to stop.
“Our gravest fears about the reported numbers of children killed becoming dozens, then hundreds, and ultimately thousands were realized in just a fortnight. The numbers are appalling; reportedly more than 3,450 children killed; staggeringly this rises significantly every day.
“Gaza has become a graveyard for thousands of children. It’s a living hell for everyone else.
“And yet the threats to children go beyond bombs and mortars. I want to speak briefly on water and trauma.
“The more than one million children of Gaza also have a water crisis. Gaza’s water production capacity is a mere 5 per cent of its usual daily output. Child deaths – particularly infants - to dehydration are a growing threat.
“This is what one of my UNICEF colleagues, Nesma, who lives and works in Gaza said. She has two children, 4yr old Talia, and 7yr old Zain: It breaks my heart to see children around me strive for a cup of clean water and cannot find it. Zain keeps asking for regular water.
“She means safe drinking water, not salty water which is the only option right now and is making 7yr old Zain and many other children sick.
“And then there is the trauma. When the fighting stops, the cost to children and their communities will be borne out for generations to come. Before this latest escalation, more than 800,000 children in Gaza – three quarters of its entire child population – were identified as needing mental health and psychosocial support. That’s before this latest nightmare.
“The same UNICEF colleague, Nesma, who spoke of her 7yr old desperately asking for clean water, explained the trauma her 4yr old is going through. Four year old Talia is showing severe symptoms of stress and fear, and is now self-harming, such as ripping her hair off and scratching her thighs until they bleed. And yet as her mother explains: I don’t have the luxury to think about my children’s mental health. I keep telling myself, ‘Nesma, keep them alive.’ And when all of this ends, I will provide them with mental support and medical care.
“And so we say again, on behalf of Talia and Zain, and the other 1.1m children in Gaza living through a nightmare: We need an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. And all access crossings into Gaza must be opened for the safe, sustained and unimpeded access of humanitarian aid, including water, food, medical supplies, and fuel.
“And if there is no ceasefire, no water, no medicine, and no release of abducted children? Then we hurtle towards even greater horrors afflicting innocent children.”
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Press Release
27 October 2023
Member States agree on International Day of Care and Support: A milestone for gender equality and sustainable societies
Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women, welcomed the adoption of the resolution and stressed that “this milestone achievement reflects the collective recognition of the pivotal role that paid and unpaid care and domestic work play in ensuring the wellbeing of societies, strengthened economies and increased development. I hope that all Member States use this UN day of observance to raise awareness, improve policies, and scale up investments to transform the care economy and advance gender equality.”
The resolution emphasizes the value of care work and recognizes care workers as essential workers. It promotes efforts to rectify unfair arrangements concerning paid and unpaid care and domestic work, and champions the creation of an enabling environment for women’s economic autonomy and the overall well-being of both care workers and the communities they serve. The resolution also acknowledges the pivotal role played by various stakeholders, including worker and employer organizations, women’s and community-based organizations, feminist groups, youth and religious organizations, and other relevant actors.
Remarking on this achievement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, stressed that “in marking the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I called upon States to take concrete steps towards establishing support and care systems that are human rights-based, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and age-sensitive. Today, we celebrate the General Assembly’s establishment of the United Nations observance of the International Day of Care and Support. This international day shows the importance of building towards care and support systems that protect the rights of those providing and receiving care and support, and as a key lever to sustainable development.”
Adopting this resolution marks a significant step towards promoting the rights of caregivers and care recipients. The resolution is also timely as it takes into consideration a global aging trend, recognizing the growing need for care work and support systems and the importance of investing in the care economy, including the development of robust, resilient, gender-responsive, disability-inclusive, and age-sensitive care and support systems.
Gilbert F. Houngbo, General-Director of the International Labour Organization, noted the resolution’s timeliness, stating that “The ILO wholeheartedly welcomes the establishment of the International Day of Care and Support on October 29th. It is a timely recognition of the indispensable role of those who provide care and support, in every country in the world. Without these care workers not only would our societies and economies suffer but our fundamental humanity would be diminished. So, let us use this occasion to reaffirm our commitment not only to inclusive and equitable access to quality care, but to decent work for care providers. In doing so we also serve our own best interests, by championing the fundamental principles of human dignity and social justice.”
By recognizing the vital role of care and support and highlighting the need for investment in the care economy, Member States demonstrated their commitment to achieving gender equality and building inclusive and sustainable societies. The resolution sets the stage for increased awareness, improved policies, and collaborative efforts to promote gender equality, human development, and inclusive and sustainable growth.
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Press Release
11 September 2023
The world is failing girls and women, according to new UN report
New York — Despite global efforts, the world is falling short of achieving gender equality. This year's edition of the UN Women and UN DESA “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023”, launched today, paints a worrisome picture halfway through the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“The gender snapshot 2023” warns that, if current trends continue, more than 340 million women and girls—an estimated 8 per cent of the world’s female population—will live in extreme poverty by 2030, and close to one in four will experience moderate or severe food insecurity. The gender gap in power and leadership positions remains entrenched, and, at the current rate of progress, the next generation of women will still spend on average 2.3 more hours per day on unpaid care and domestic work than men.
The annual publication provides a comprehensive analysis of the current state of gender equality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights prevailing trends, gaps, and recent setbacks on the journey towards achieving gender equality by 2030.
This year’s report includes sex-disaggregated data on the intersections of gender and climate change for the first time, and projects that by mid-century, under a worst-case climate scenario, climate change may push up to 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty (16 million more than the total number of men and boys).
Ms. Sarah Hendriks, UN Women Deputy Executive Director, ad interim, said: “In this critical midpoint moment for the SDGs, this year’s report is a resounding call to action. We must collectively and intentionally act now to course-correct for a world where every woman and girl has equal rights, opportunities, and representation. To achieve this, we need unwavering commitment, innovative solutions, and collaboration across all sectors and stakeholders.”
With a special focus this year on older women, the report finds that older women face higher rates of poverty and violence than older men. In 28 of the 116 countries with data, fewer than half of older women have a pension; in 12 countries fewer than 10 per cent had access to a pension. Halfway to 2030, progress on SDG 5—gender equality—is clearly way off track. The report shows that the world is failing women and girls with a mere two Goal 5 indicators being “close to target” and no SDG 5 indicator at the “target met or almost met” level.
“The gender snapshot 2023” underscores the urgent need for concrete efforts to accelerate progress towards gender equality by 2030, revealing that an additional USD 360 billion per year is needed to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment across key global goals. The report also includes calls for an integrated and holistic approach, greater collaboration among stakeholders, sustained funding, and policy actions to address gender disparities and empower women and girls worldwide, concluding that failure to prioritize gender equality now could jeopardize the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
“Gender equality is not just a goal within the 2030 Agenda,” said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of UN DESA. “It is the very foundation of a fair society, and a goal upon which all other goals must stand. By breaking down the barriers that have hindered the full participation of women and girls in every aspect of society, we unleash the untapped potential that can drive progress and prosperity for all.”
Further facts and figures highlighted in the report include:
Under a worst-case climate scenario, food insecurity is projected to affect as many as 236 million more women and girls, compared to 131 million more men and boys, due to climate change.
No country is within reach of eradicating intimate partner violence, and only 27 countries have comprehensive systems to track and make budgetary allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The number of women and girls in conflict-affected contexts has risen significantly, with catastrophic consequences. In 2022, the number of women and girls living in such contexts reached 614 million, 50 per cent higher than the number in 2017.
Globally, at current rates of progress, an estimated 110 million girls and young women will be out of school in 2030.
The labour and earnings gap remains persistently high. For each dollar men earn in labour income globally, women earn only 51 cents. Only 61.4 per cent of prime working age women are in the labour force, compared to 90 per cent of prime working age men.
Access the report.
See also:
Global gender equality in 2023: Urgent efforts needed to reach 2030 goals
The 11 biggest hurdles for women’s equality by 2030
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Press Release
20 July 2023
Less than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and high gender parity
Kigali, 18 July 2023 – No country has achieved full gender parity and fewer than 1 percent of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap, according to a new global report launched by UN Women and UNDP today at the Women Deliver Conference. The report provides - for the first time - a more comprehensive picture of progress in women and girl’s human development.
The report sees UN Women and UNDP join forces to propose the Women's Empowerment Index (WEI) and the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI) as the twin indices for measuring gender parity and women’s empowerment.
The twin indices offer different but complementary lenses for assessing progress in advancing women's human development, power, and freedoms. Together, they shed light on the complex challenges faced by women worldwide and pave the way for targeted interventions and policy reforms.
Analysis of 114 countries has found that women’s power and freedom to make choices and seize opportunities remain largely restricted. Low women’s empowerment and large gender gaps are commonplace.
The WEI measures women's power and freedoms to make choices and seize life opportunities across five dimensions: health, education, inclusion, decision-making, and violence against women. Similarly, the GGPI evaluates the status of women relative to men in core dimensions of human development, including health, education, inclusion, and decision-making.
Globally, women are empowered to achieve on average only 60 percent of their full potential, as measured by the WEI. They achieve, on average, 72 percent of what men achieve across key human development dimensions, as measured by the GPPI, reflecting a 28 percent of gender gap. These empowerment deficits and disparities are harmful not just to women’s well-being and advancement but also to human progress.
“With the Sustainable Development Goals, the global community has made a strong commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment. However, we can see clearly with these new indices that across countries, women’s full potential remains unrealized, and large gender gaps continue to be commonplace, thereby obstructing and slowing progress in the realization of all the Goals,” said UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous. “Sustained efforts are therefore needed to deliver on the promise of gender equality, secure the human rights of women and girls and ensure that their fundamental freedoms are fully realized”, she concluded.
The Report also highlights that less than 1 percent of women and girls live in countries with both high levels of women's empowerment and high gender parity, while more than 90 percent of the world's female population —3.1 billion women and girls — live in countries characterized by a large women’s empowerment deficit and a large gender gap.
“This eye-opening analysis shows that higher human development is not by itself a sufficient condition, as more than half the countries with low and middle performance in the Women’s Empowerment Index and Global Parity Index fall in the very high and high human development groups,” said UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner. “Too many women and girls are living in countries that only allow them to reach a fraction of their potential and these fresh new insights are ultimately designed to help to effect real change – for real people”.
The WEI and the GGPI are useful tools for policymakers, providing vital evidence on progress and the urgent policy actions needed to achieve women's empowerment and gender equality. The indices reveal the need for comprehensive policy action in the following areas:
Health policies: Support and promote long and healthy lives for all, with a focus on universal access to sexual and reproductive health.
Equality in education: Address gaps in skills and quality of education, especially in fields such as STEM, to empower women and girls in the digital age.
Work-life balance and support for families: Invest in policies and services that address work-life balance, including affordable quality childcare services, parental leave schemes, and flexible working arrangements.
Women's equal participation: Set targets and action plans for achieving gender parity in all spheres of public life and eliminate discriminatory laws and regulations that hold women back.
Violence against women: Implement comprehensive measures focused on prevention, changing social norms, and eliminating discriminatory laws and policies.
The indices serve as a catalyst for change, enabling comprehensive tracking and assessment of progress and gaps across countries. They come at a critical juncture, where global challenges threaten to undermine human development and exacerbate existing gender disparities. By harnessing these indices, policymakers, stakeholders, and communities can take informed action and accelerate the journey towards a more equitable and inclusive world.
The world is at a critical crossroads and this report is a key contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals stock-taking moment and a means of furthering the efforts each of the 17 goals, in the lead up to the SDG Summit in September.
To access the full report visit:
UNDP
UN Women
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