HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL HOLDS PANEL DISCUSSION ON WOMEN’S RIGHTS AND THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Human Rights Council this afternoon concluded its annual full-day discussion on the human rights of women with a panel discussion on women’s rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Kate Gilmore, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her opening remarks, said that the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development could not be implemented without leadership and invested commitment. That was why the 2030 Agenda was a gift by Member States who had agreed on it in unanimity. It was rights-based, universal and interconnected in its vision for delivery, and extended far beyond Member States.

The panel members included Natasha Stott Despoja, Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls; Arancha Gonzalez, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre; Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics in the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Vanessa Anyoti, Young Women’s Coordinator in the World Young Women's Christian Association.

Paul Ladd, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, moderator of the discussion, congratulated States for the commitment they had shown in adopting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and stated that despite some gaps, the new Agenda accurately reflected the realities of development. It was universal and committed to leave no one behind.

Ms. Stott Despoja said that the Sustainable Development Goals had the potential to achieve real advances for gender equality and women’s empowerment, but necessitated concrete actions to be brought to reality. She was concerned that women lacked equal participation in economic growth, and highlighted the specific vulnerability of women and girls to conflict situations and climate change.

Ms. Gonzalez said that great advances had been made in women’s empowerment recently. However, they still tended to be in poverty more than men and there were disparities among men and women in the labour market. For every 100 men in poverty, there were 117 women in poverty.

Ms. Ghosh said that nothing could be achieved in Goal 5 unless Goal 10 was addressed. Goal 5 referred to the elimination of all forms of violence against women, and giving women equal access to resources. Those could not be achieved without addressing equal opportunities and reducing inequalities.

Ms. Anyoti said that sustainable development would become a reality when women and girls were invested in. The 2030 Agenda was, in its essence, a human rights based instrument. It was important to ensure that human rights discussions were inclusive and fully representatives of populations.

In the discussion, delegations highlighted the importance of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals as an all-encompassing tool for the achievement of women’s rights. All agreed that gender equality and the empowerment of women would be better achieved through the eradication of poverty and the implementation of economic measures. Delegations raised their concerns regarding the continuous practices that violated the rights of women and girls, including female genital mutilation and the male guardian system, and stressed that development and gender equality were seriously threatened in conflict situations.

Speaking in the discussion today were Ukraine, Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Qatar on behalf of the Arab Group, Philippines on behalf of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, New Zealand on behalf of a group of countries, European Union, South Africa, on behalf of African Group, India, on behalf of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, Sweden on behalf of a group of countries, Dominican Republic on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, Russian Federation, Honduras, Paraguay, Israel, Ireland, El Salvador, Ecuador, Egypt, Austria, Chile, Sierra Leone, United Arab Emirates, Estonia, Nepal, Bahamas, Singapore, Australia, United States, Argentina, Italy, France, and Slovenia.

Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme du Maroc took the floor, as did the following non-governmental organizations: Equality and Human Rights Commission; United Nations Watch; Action Canada for Population and Development; Plan International; Swedish Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights; Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain

This evening, the Human Rights Council will hold an interactive dialogue with the Working Group on transnational cooperation and human rights, and the Special Rapporteur on the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Opening Statement

KATE GILMORE, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that the ambition of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development could not be implemented with the same approach. That was why the 2030 Agenda was a gift by Member States who had agreed on it in unanimity. It was rights-based, universal and interconnected in its vision for delivery. The Agenda extended far beyond Member States, as it was a promise to all: Parliaments, academia, private sector and all other stakeholders, and it came from the largest-ever public consultation undertaken by the United Nations. By 2030, a billion new persons would be added to the world population, which meant that by the time those 15 years had ended, the world would have the largest-ever generation of the young, but also of the old. At the moment, the contour of conflict, poverty and exclusion tracked the youth: the median age of South Sudan was 16, the median age of Uganda was 15, while the median age of Germany was 45. So, the world had before it the largest demographic shift in history. The Millennium Development Goals had gifted humanity with millions of people lifted out of poverty, halving infant and maternal mortality and achieving gender parity in primary education; and yet, over the course of that time, inequalities had deepened. Over the next 15 years, people would be on the move, under the pressure of conflict and poverty and in search of opportunity; more people than ever would be living in cities, and the role of cities in the process of development and protection of human rights would be elevated to a stage never before seen.

The Agenda was a gift, said Ms. Gilmore, but without the leadership and invested commitment, it would only be a promise broken. For women, the urgency of that Agenda could not be overstated: today one in three women experienced sexual violence at the hand of someone they knew, while maternal mortality had dropped by close to 50 per cent, but remained at levels far too high to be tolerated because the loss of life while giving life was preventable and at a very low cost. Today, one in nine girls was married before the age of 15 in areas where development lagged behind. Over the past 15 years, incidents of death from HIV/AIDS had reduced for most age groups by 30 per cent thanks to extraordinary efforts, but had increased by 50 per cent for adolescents, largely because of reluctance to have an open conversation about reproductive health and intimate relationships. Gender equality was not just a number game, but without a number that tracked and so enabled the accountability, the Agenda would be empty. Women had to be given a voice, and those excluded had to participate and be represented, including the poor, disabled, indigenous and minority women.

Statements by the Moderator and Panellists

PAUL LADD, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and Panel Moderator, congratulated States for the commitment they had shown in adopting the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Despite some gaps, the new Agenda accurately reflected the realities of development, it was universal and committed to leaving no one behind. Fulfilling the right of women and girls was central to the Agenda, he insisted. Fulfilling the right of women was also an investment in realizing the full set of the Sustainable Development Goals.

NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, said that the Sustainable Development Goals had the potential to achieve real advances for gender equality and women’s empowerment. They needed, however, concrete actions to be brought to reality. Ms. Stott Despoja was concerned that women lacked equal participation in economic growth, and highlighted the specific vulnerability of women and girls to conflict situations and climate change. Addressing those challenges required targeted and gender sensitive programmes, as well as efforts to close gender gaps. To achieve peace and security, it was crucial to address the appalling scourge of violence against women in conflict situations. National commitments were required, as well as strong partnerships across all segments of the society. The vital role of women’s civil society organizations could not be overstated, she said. Effective implementation had to be supported by the gathering of data. Ms. Stott Despoja assured of Australia’s commitment to achieving those goals, and underlined the key role that the Council should play.

ARANCHA GONZÁLEZ, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, said that great advances had recently been made in women’s empowerment. However, women still tended to be in poverty more than men, and there were disparities among men and women in the labour market. For every 100 men in poverty, there were 117 women in poverty. Even though women made up two thirds of global work and produced half of the global food, they earned only 10 per cent of the income and owned one per cent of the property, according to the International Labour Organization. Gender equality was essential to attaining any of the Sustainable Development Goals. Out of the one billion poor worldwide, 60 per cent were women. If women had greater access to land, they could increase their agricultural output by 30 per cent. There had to be a clear determination to change the status quo. That could be done through the International Trade Centre’s campaign “She Trades,” which encouraged women to participate in trade through government and corporate procurement, addressing supply difficulties for women, access to finance, and access to ownership rights for women. The last one was crucial for access to credit.

JAYATI GHOSH, Professor of Economics in the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, stated that nothing could be achieved in Goal 5 unless Goal 10 – reducing inequalities – was addressed. Goal 5 referred to the elimination of all forms of violence against women, and giving women equal access to resources. Those could not be achieved without addressing equal opportunities and reducing inequalities of incomes, social protection policies, improving monitoring of global financial markets and institutions, facilitating orderly migration and mobility, and providing aid for developing and least developing countries. With the way the global economic and financial structure was designed, it did not allow any of those goals to be achieved. Current tax policies caused reductions in social spending and unfavourable attitudes towards migrants. Unpaid work of women forced many of them into trafficking. To actually make sure that Goal 5 worked, there needed to be more discussion on the achievement of Goal 10.

VANESSA ANYOTI, Young Women’s Coordinator in the World Young Women's Christian Association, said that sustainable development would become a reality when women and girls were invested in. The 2030 Agenda was, in its essence, a human rights based instrument. It was important to ensure that human rights discussions were inclusive and fully representative of populations. She underlined the need for awareness raising activities among young people, who made up more than half of the world’s population, to increase their knowledge, including on the United Nations human rights mechanisms. Youth also had to be involved in the design and implementation of development efforts, and included in indicators and statistics. States should promote the inclusion of young people, particularly young women and girls. Data on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda had to be made accessible for all. Gender equality could not be achieved without the support of faith communities, Ms. Anyoti said, calling on faith leaders to reassess religious precepts from a gender perspective.

Discussion

Ukraine stressed that, having recently been subjected to an aggression, development and gender equality were seriously threatened in conflict situations. It called on all States to support the work of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict. Pakistan, speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, agreed that women and girls were deeply impacted by poverty, violence, food insecurity and climate change, and expressed the Organization’s commitment to continuing its efforts for achieving gender equality at all levels and in all sectors. Qatar, speaking on behalf of the Arab Group, said that combatting discrimination against women was the primary responsibility of States, and explained that Arab countries had adopted measures aimed at promoting women’s rights and combatting all forms of discrimination against them.

Philippines, speaking on behalf of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said that regional efforts such as the adoption of the ASEAN Convention as well as the ASEAN Plan of Action adopted in 2015, demonstrated a collective commitment to promoting the rights of women and addressing violence against women. New Zealand, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, noted with regret that there continued to be violations of the right to sexual and reproductive health, the consequences of which could be severe. Ensuring education and information was not enough – women had to make their own decisions on their health and wellbeing. European Union said that the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration were very important instruments for achieving gender equality. Women’s rights and equality had to be mainstreamed through the entire 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

South Africa, speaking on behalf of African Group, reaffirmed its commitment to promote gender equality and the rights of women across the world, who continued to face unjustified discrimination in all areas of life – a matter that was addressed in Article 18 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. India, on behalf of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, said that gender gaps remained a worldwide phenomenon across all sectors and regions, and the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was essential in that respect. The pursuit of sustainable development had to contribute to the realization of gender equality. Sweden, speaking on behalf of a group of countries, stated that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was a landmark achievement, which addressed the need to ensure equality and empower women and girls, not only through Goal 5, but also Goals 3, 4 and 16. It was important to disaggregate data by gender, so as to ensure that women were not left behind.

Dominican Republic, speaking on behalf of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Countries, noted that the cross-cutting nature of Goal 5 had always been present. It was a challenge to adopt the Agenda 2030 with a gender perspective. Gender equity and equality in public policies and State actions were crucial. Russian Federation commended the inclusion of gender equality in the 2030 Agenda. There was a need for fostering the economic independence of women and increasing their participation in political life. The Russian Federation’s priority was creating the right balance of family and career for women. Netherlands’ priority was to include a gender perspective into its policies. The global pandemic of violence against women and girls had not vanished, which was why it was a priority for States to end all forms against women and girls in both public and private spheres.

Equality and Human Rights Commission, in a video message, drew attention to discrimination against women due to pregnancy in the United Kingdom, and called on the Government to consider increasing the legal limit from three to six months to report pregnancy related discrimination. United Nations Watch highlighted examples of violence against women, such as rape cases in Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar, in which the victims themselves were punished. Action Canada for Population and Development warned that the implementation of the targets of the Agenda 2030 would never be achieved without taking into account the application of discriminatory laws, policies and practices.

Remarks by the Moderator and Panellists

PAUL LADD, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and Panel Moderator, summed up the questions raised by States on how to implement the 2030 Agenda to achieve gender equality.

NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, said that discrimination on the basis of pregnancy was common, even in Australia, and highlighted the need for a culture change and for reforms in order to tackle that issue. In relation to the specific needs of women in conflict situations, she insisted on the necessity to ensure that the sexual and reproductive health rights of women were respected. Women needed to be better represented in the public sector, including at the international level.

ARANCHA GONZÁLEZ, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, highlighted the importance of collecting disaggregated data and measuring progress through indicators, including progress on women’s economic empowerment. Public policies were often crafted by Parliaments, she said, calling for more women to be represented in those institutions. Gender-based budget policing was also important.

JAYATI GHOSH, Professor of Economics in the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, Jawaharlal Nehru University, stated that Governments should not impose austerity measures, and should not give too much legal protection to companies at the expense of citizens. She said that the gap between official declarations and people’s self-perceived realities could have dangerous implications, of which the Council should also be aware.

VANESSA ANYOTI, Young Women’s Coordinator in the World Young Women's Christian Association, underlined the importance of access to youth friendly and affordable services, and repeated that youth representatives had to be consulted as partners to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

PAUL LADD, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and Panel Moderator, said that the challenge was to make sure that policies on trade and on intellectual properties respected States’ commitments under the 2030 Agenda.

Discussion

Honduras congratulated Member States on the fruitful discussion on how to implement the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, with a view to promoting the global vision to combat poverty and hunger, and ensuring that no one should be left behind, especially women. Paraguay said one of the ways to fulfil the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development was inclusive participation and dialogue based on empowerment. All governments had the duty to translate this process into effective political policies; focusing on participation in national polices of women was crucial. Israel strongly supported the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and was committed to raising awareness about best practices against violence against women and facilitating policies to promote gender equality. In the World Humanitarian Summit held in Istanbul, Israel had pledged its commitment in this direction. Ireland said the new 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was people centered and gender sensitive, however experience showed how inequality could be concealed. Therefore, the Agenda had to be equally matched by implementation, and in this respect, quality data and gender statistics addressing national gaps were crucial. El Salvador said the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development had a specific gender equality objective and a goal for empowering women, which recognized the work load which for women was often unpaid, as well as other key issues. Ecuador celebrated the holding of the panel, reiterating the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and addressing poverty and inequality. Women and girls constituted over half the world’s population and were most affected by manmade and natural disasters.

Egypt stated that in May 2016 the Egyptian Government announced its Vision 2030 which addressed specific gender gaps in work, education, poverty eradication, rural development and political participation. Austria underlined the Agenda 2030 ambition to eliminate all forms of discrimination against women and girls, and give them opportunity to fully live up to their potential. That would require gender-responsive budgeting and capacity building in all areas. Chile noted that sustainable development was not possible without the creation of inclusive societies. The 2030 Agenda was a new opportunity for States to incorporate gender perspective in all Agenda goals. Sierra Leone reminded that women continued to face discrimination and physical and sexual violence. Women had to participate in all political decision-making. What else could the Council do to improve their situation? United Arab Emirates noted that the goal of leaving no one behind could not be achieved without the empowerment of women. That dimension should be present in all areas of sustainable development. Estonia stated that gender stereotypes were among the root causes for gender equality. Thus the key measure was to raise awareness in the society at large and to target groups such as teachers, employers, employees and policy makers.

Conseil National des Droits de l’Homme du Maroc presented initiatives it had undertaken or participated in at the national and international levels, and introduced its report on gender equality in Morocco, which also focused on violence, harmful practices and discrimination against women in the country. It called upon the Government to include a gender perspective in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Plan International said that special efforts were needed to ensure that girls and young women realized their rights within the 2030 Agenda framework, including gender transformative and adequately resourced national action plans with mechanisms monitoring their implementation. Swedish Federation of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights was concerned that lesbian, bisexual and transgender women were not referred to in the 2030 Agenda, and risked being left behind in its implementation. It called for the adoption of human rights sensitive indicators to monitor progress for all people.

Nepal presented its domestic efforts towards gender equality, and explained that the national Constitution had gender related issues at its core. Strengthened efforts were needed for achieving gender equality and realizing the right to development. Bahamas said that it had recently held a national referendum to include sex as a ground for discrimination in its Constitution. Although this proposal was rejected, the referendum was a manifestation of democracy in the country. Georgia said that Goal 5 of the 2030 Agenda provided a framework for achieving tangible results towards gender equality. Georgia referred to several national action plans it had adopted on this issue, and referred to the specific vulnerability of women in the situation of foreign military occupation.

Singapore had been fully committed to ensure that women and girls were protected, supported and empowered since its independence 50 years ago. Singapore was ranked thirteenth on the Gender Inequality Index in 2014 and was listed as the best place to be a mother in Asia in 2015. Australia said sustainable development could not be achieved without the realization of full and equal rights for all, especially for women and girls. Women were the engine of economic growth and their full and equal participation in the economy strengthened national prosperity. Gender equality was not only right, it was smart. United States said it was an active proponent of Sustainable Development Goal 5 – achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls. Achieving gender equality required holistic and comprehensive policy and programming solutions to address gender based violence, health, education, and harmful practices.

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain was concerned about the continued presence of the male guardian system which required women to be escorted by a male guardian at all times. This rendered them unable to seek or receive medical treatment without the consent of their guardian and forced them to appear in court with their male guardian even in the process of petitioning for divorce.

Argentina welcomed the objectives on Sustainable Development Goal 5, and informed that since 2010 it had a law on violence against women. Gender equality was key to putting an end to poverty, and Argentina targeted the economic independence of women, especially those in a situation in violence. Italy remained convinced that eliminating discrimination and violence and promoting and enhancing the participation of women in all spheres of the life was a crucial issue, which Italy was fully committed to. Given the cross-cutting nature of human rights and gender equality in the Sustainable Development Goals and targets, how could these be better implemented? France welcomed the holding of the annual debate and was committed to combatting discrimination against women. France was very happy with the Goal related to gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, on which France had worked. Women were often the key actors for change for a more sustainable world. Slovenia welcomed the focus of the panel on bringing development closer to the people. It asked the panellists’ views on how to measure the implementation of the Agenda 2030 in relation to its gender specific goals, targets and indicators.

Concluding Remarks

PAUL LADD, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, highlighted some of the questions raised during the panel discussion: on how to improve statistics and data in practice, which targets would be hardest to reach under Goal 5, what could be done at the regional level, how the humanitarian crises affected the ability to focus on gender equality, and the role of the Universal Periodic Review and United Nations bodies in the promotion of gender equality.

NATASHA STOTT DESPOJA, Ambassador for Women and Girls of Australia, noted that there was a close link between different goals and targets. Thus those targets had to be viewed in a holistic way. As for women’s role in political decision making, there was a strong role for regional initiatives to that end. In the South Pacific that was of crucial importance because that region had one of the lowest political representation rates among women and some of the highest rates of violence against women.

ARANCHA GONZÁLEZ, Executive Director of the International Trade Centre, underlined that data collection was a challenge faced by all countries. It was necessary to put in place mechanisms to improve national statistics offices and to collect data in a disaggregated manner and to include the gender dimension. Coherence needed to start at home and development cooperation should also focus on specific targets related to gender. The Council was a great forum for sharing experiences and solutions. On mainstreaming gender and ensuring that the targets were realized, Ms. Gonzalez said it was important to “walk the talk.”

VANESSA ANYOTI, Young Women’s Coordinator in the World Young Women's Christian Association, confirmed that disaggregated data were needed at all levels. However, it was also important to provide technical and financial assistance to those countries that struggled to collect data. It was equally important to institutionalize a youth forum and use a bottom-up approach to allow young people to discuss their concerns.

PAUL LADD, Executive Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, noted that the 2030 Agenda offered an exceptional opportunity to advance the empowerment of women and girls. It was important for the achievement of the entire set of sustainable development goals. There were huge challenges for women, such as poverty, access to employment, unpaid work, lack of property rights, access to finance, sexual and reproductive health services, violence and abuse, and suffering of women in conflicts. Those challenges could often be compounded by cross-cutting issues, such as finances, intellectual property rights and migration. Data and better information would be critical to measure the implementation of the set goals, and to measure whether anyone was left behind. Finally, words needed to be turned into actions.


For use of the information media; not an official record

HRC16/074E