One of the Nigerian delegates at the just concluded UN CSW68 conference in New York, Hon. Martha Agba, met with the President of the United Nations General Assembly, H. E. Dennis Francis at the sidelines of the event.
Martha presented a paper at the conference which seeks at addressing the many challenges that confront women’s participation in politics/governance. She also highlighted the need for more women to be included at every decision making process in Africa.
The 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68), the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment. This year’s theme is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.
At CSW68, governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from across the world will come together to agree on actions and investments that can end women’s poverty and advance gender equality.
Solutions to end women’s poverty were widely discuses. Investing in policies and programmes that address gender inequalities and boosting women’s agency and leadership were identified as critical solutions.
Importance of Intersectionality: Recognizing and addressing the intersecting forms of discrimination faced by women based on factors such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, disability, and sexual orientation. Economic Empowerment: Highlighting the need for policies and initiatives that promote women’s economic empowerment, including equal pay, access to education, and entrepreneurship opportunities. Political
Participation: Encouraging increased representation of women in political leadership roles and decision-making processes at all levels of government. Ending Gender-Based Violence: Advocating for measures to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, including legal reforms, support services, and awareness-raising campaigns.
Sustainable Development: Emphasizing the importance of integrating gender perspectives into sustainable development efforts to ensure that the needs and priorities of women and girls are adequately addressed.
The need for all of these were well discussed by various speakers at the conference.
