In a press release dated 24 March: UN Commission on the Status of Women provides roadmap to women’s full and equal participation in the economy, it is announced that UN Member States have committed to ensure women’s full and equal participation and leadership in the economy, as well as women’s right to work and rights at work, as a vital step to achieving sustainable development. This strong pledge to women’s economic empowerment came at the closing of the 61st session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61).
In welcoming the Agreed Conclusions, UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “This Commission has engaged strongly, comprehensively and constructively over the last two weeks in considering the most effective ways in which to bring about change for women in the world of work. We have heard from all quarters the accepted imperative to put this knowledge into practice. It will take action throughout society; by all those who spoke to represent the commitment of young and older, of civil society and parliamentarians, of men and women alike, to embrace the great promise of finally making space for women to thrive. There has never been any excuse for the inequality that exists. Now we are seeing a healthy intolerance for inequality grow into firm and positive change.”
This year’s Commission saw the attendance of 162 Member States, including 89 representatives at the Ministerial level. Over 3,900 representatives from 580 civil society organizations came to New York from 138 countries, attesting to the growing strength and unity of women’s voices around the world.
Soroptimist International Director of Advocacy, Pat Black
Soroptimist International Director of Advocacy, Pat Black says: “We are delighted that all Member States of CSW61 were able to reach agreement by consensus, although disappointed that many countries, including the United States and the European Union entered reservations on some of the paragraphs. The Soroptimist delegates at CSW worked hard to influence their country delegations for the inclusion of the issues Soroptimists felt important, so it is with delight that we can see that all have been included in the final Agreed Conclusions. Soroptimists around the world will now encourage their governments to implement all aspects of the Agreed Conclusions”.
The press release also states that: For the first time, the transition of informal and domestic workers into the formal economy was a key issue of discussion for the Commission, whose members agreed on the need of promoting decent work and paid care in the public and private sectors; increasing the provision of social protection and wages that guarantee an adequate standard of living; and ensuring safe working conditions for women. This comes as a matter of concern as many migrant women employed in the informal economy and in less skilled work are especially vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. The Commission recognized the positive contributions of migrants and called for gender-responsive migration policies that promote migrant women’s economic empowerment.
To read the full press release please visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/3/press-release-un-csw-provides-roadmap-to-womens-full-and-equal-participation-in-the-economy
To view the advance unedited version of the Agreed Conclusions please visit: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw61-2017
To view Soroptimist International coverage of CSW61 please visit https://www.soroptimistinternational.org/tag/csw-blogs/
FEATURED IMAGE Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), addresses the opening meeting of the sixty-first session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW) COURTESY OF UN Photo/Rick Bajornas