Observance of International Women's Day.
Remarks by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on International Women's Day 2020, March 8.
I wish you all the best for International Women’s Day on Sunday.
Gender inequality is the overwhelming injustice of our age and the biggest human rights challenge we face.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: gender equality is a question of power.
Men have used and abused power to control women and prevent them from achieving their potential for millennia.
Deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems, our corporations, our societies and our culture.
Women are still very frequently denied a voice; their opinions are ignored and their experience discounted.
In recent months, there have been plenty of examples.
High-profile peace agreements have been signed without any women at the table.
Emergency healthcare meetings on the new coronavirus were convened with few or no women.
But women need peace, and contribute to peace, just as much as men – maybe more.
Women are as vulnerable to illness as men and they make up the majority of the healthcare workforce.
There is no justification for women’s continued exclusion.
Dear Friends,
In recent years, I have seen a change.
Women have had enough.
They are protesting against femicide – the killing of women – in the streets; they are on strike for equal pay and conditions; they are calling out powerful men for violence and abuse.
Young women are redefining what power looks like.
They are creating new, inclusive forms of leadership that unite people across borders and around common goals.
I welcome some of these young leaders here today.
Thank you for your activism and your advocacy.
Please keep up the pressure. Please hold the world to account.
We need your passion and conviction as we face a whole range of global challenges, from climate change to conflict.
Generation Equality cannot be Generation Gradual Improvement or Generation Incremental Change.
Generation Equality means equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls, now.
That is why I am determined to achieve gender parity at all levels at the United Nations, and I am pleased that we have done so at senior levels two years ahead of schedule.
Dear Friends,
Without women’s leadership and full participation, we will never achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or defeat climate change.
Women, particularly young women, are leaders on climate action.
But I was not aware until recently that one of the “founding fathers” of climate science was a woman – a “founding mother”.
In 1856, Eunice Foote, an American scientist and women’s rights campaigner, believed changes in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could affect the Earth’s temperature. She conducted an experiment with glass cylinders and thermometers to prove it.
Her paper was presented at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – by a man.
Three years later, another man published his own research on heat-trapping gases which is considered the foundation of climate science. It started with a woman but it was covered.
Gender equality means finding and honoring women whose achievements were erased and ignored in their own time.
Women like Eunice Foote.
Women like Katherine Johnson and her colleagues who worked for NASA on the Apollo moon landings, whose story was told in the book and film Hidden Figures.
Women like Tu Youyou, who turned to traditional Chinese medicine to look for a cure for malaria in the 1970s.
Her discoveries saved millions of lives around the world and were finally recognized with a Nobel prize in 2015.
Women’s stories matter. Representation matters.
As Simone de Beauvoir said: “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men: they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth.”
Dear Friends,
When I was a child, in many places, women were legally dependents of their husbands; they could not open a bank account or own property in their own name; and they were completely excluded from all positions of power.
The change we have seen in my lifetime shows that progress is real, and possible.
But it has also led to a pushback.
Twenty-five years after the Beijing conference, progress on women’s rights has stalled and even reversed.
Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women.
Women’s autonomy, including full access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, is far from universal.
Bias against gender equality is growing in some countries.
The first gender social norm index, published this week by the United Nations Development Programme, found that almost 90 percent of people, including women, interviewed across 75 countries have “at least one clear bias against gender equality in areas such as politics, economics, education, intimate partner violence and women’s reproductive rights”.
Almost 30 percent of people in the world think today that it is acceptable for a man to beat his partner.
We must push back against the pushback.
We cannot give way; we refuse to lose the ground we have won.
It is more important than ever for men to stand up for women’s rights and gender equality.
That is why I am a proud feminist. And why I am personally committed to increasing support for women’s rights across the board at the United Nations.
In the next two years, I will do everything in my power to make sure women are represented in all decision-making at the United Nations, including in peace processes.
Only through the equal participation of women can we benefit from the intelligence, experience and insights of all of humanity.
Thank you.
Gender inequality is the overwhelming injustice of our age and the biggest human rights challenge we face.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: gender equality is a question of power.
Men have used and abused power to control women and prevent them from achieving their potential for millennia.
Deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems, our corporations, our societies and our culture.
Women are still very frequently denied a voice; their opinions are ignored and their experience discounted.
In recent months, there have been plenty of examples.
High-profile peace agreements have been signed without any women at the table.
Emergency healthcare meetings on the new coronavirus were convened with few or no women.
But women need peace, and contribute to peace, just as much as men – maybe more.
Women are as vulnerable to illness as men and they make up the majority of the healthcare workforce.
There is no justification for women’s continued exclusion.
Dear Friends,
In recent years, I have seen a change.
Women have had enough.
They are protesting against femicide – the killing of women – in the streets; they are on strike for equal pay and conditions; they are calling out powerful men for violence and abuse.
Young women are redefining what power looks like.
They are creating new, inclusive forms of leadership that unite people across borders and around common goals.
I welcome some of these young leaders here today.
Thank you for your activism and your advocacy.
Please keep up the pressure. Please hold the world to account.
We need your passion and conviction as we face a whole range of global challenges, from climate change to conflict.
Generation Equality cannot be Generation Gradual Improvement or Generation Incremental Change.
Generation Equality means equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls, now.
That is why I am determined to achieve gender parity at all levels at the United Nations, and I am pleased that we have done so at senior levels two years ahead of schedule.
Dear Friends,
Without women’s leadership and full participation, we will never achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development or defeat climate change.
Women, particularly young women, are leaders on climate action.
But I was not aware until recently that one of the “founding fathers” of climate science was a woman – a “founding mother”.
In 1856, Eunice Foote, an American scientist and women’s rights campaigner, believed changes in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could affect the Earth’s temperature. She conducted an experiment with glass cylinders and thermometers to prove it.
Her paper was presented at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science – by a man.
Three years later, another man published his own research on heat-trapping gases which is considered the foundation of climate science. It started with a woman but it was covered.
Gender equality means finding and honoring women whose achievements were erased and ignored in their own time.
Women like Eunice Foote.
Women like Katherine Johnson and her colleagues who worked for NASA on the Apollo moon landings, whose story was told in the book and film Hidden Figures.
Women like Tu Youyou, who turned to traditional Chinese medicine to look for a cure for malaria in the 1970s.
Her discoveries saved millions of lives around the world and were finally recognized with a Nobel prize in 2015.
Women’s stories matter. Representation matters.
As Simone de Beauvoir said: “Representation of the world, like the world itself, is the work of men: they describe it from their own point of view, which they confuse with the absolute truth.”
Dear Friends,
When I was a child, in many places, women were legally dependents of their husbands; they could not open a bank account or own property in their own name; and they were completely excluded from all positions of power.
The change we have seen in my lifetime shows that progress is real, and possible.
But it has also led to a pushback.
Twenty-five years after the Beijing conference, progress on women’s rights has stalled and even reversed.
Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women.
Women’s autonomy, including full access to sexual and reproductive health and rights, is far from universal.
Bias against gender equality is growing in some countries.
The first gender social norm index, published this week by the United Nations Development Programme, found that almost 90 percent of people, including women, interviewed across 75 countries have “at least one clear bias against gender equality in areas such as politics, economics, education, intimate partner violence and women’s reproductive rights”.
Almost 30 percent of people in the world think today that it is acceptable for a man to beat his partner.
We must push back against the pushback.
We cannot give way; we refuse to lose the ground we have won.
It is more important than ever for men to stand up for women’s rights and gender equality.
That is why I am a proud feminist. And why I am personally committed to increasing support for women’s rights across the board at the United Nations.
In the next two years, I will do everything in my power to make sure women are represented in all decision-making at the United Nations, including in peace processes.
Only through the equal participation of women can we benefit from the intelligence, experience and insights of all of humanity.
Thank you.
António Guterres.
64th Commission on the Status of Women
Remarks by the U.N. Secretary-General to 64th Commission on the Status of Women.
Remarks by the U.N. Secretary-General to 64th Commission on the Status of Women.
I am very pleased to join you for the 64th Commission on the Status of Women.
I am truly saddened that the extraordinary circumstances ushered in by the spread of the coronavirus have left us no choice but to postpone the full session of the CSW and, instead, gather for just this one day.
I know that activists and women’s groups around the world share my disappointment.
But I also take heart because I know we remain committed to the cause of gender equality.
We all understand the imperative of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.
This is, quite simply, a question of justice.
As a student volunteer in the slums of Lisbon, throughout my political career, and as the leader of the United Nations refugee agency, I have always felt compelled to fight for justice, equality and human rights.
As Secretary-General, I see one overwhelming global injustice: gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls.
Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power.
We still live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, and have done so for millennia.
Centuries of discrimination, deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems and our corporations.
This simply has to change.
This year, the world marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action.
Together, they define the most comprehensive and transformative global agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
With nations around the world searching for solutions to the complex challenges of our age, one way to get us on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
As we look back on Beijing, I am particularly heartened to see a new generation of inspired young activists across the globe taking forward its spirit of constructive action and fearless resilience.
Their efforts are sorely needed. The vision of Beijing has been only partly realized.
Women in parliaments are still outnumbered three-to-one by men, women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and unpaid care and domestic work remain stubbornly feminized the world over.
In some areas, progress towards gender equality has stalled or even gone into reverse.
Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women.
Women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services is far from universal.
We must push back against the pushback.
Dear friends,
A key legacy of the Beijing process was movement-building.
These past 25 years have seen growing, strengthened, vibrant, transnational and diverse women’s movements that are increasingly challenging slow and piecemeal progress by calling for urgent systemic change.
They are advancing gender equality and demanding accountability from governments and other powerful actors.
They are forging coalitions and working across themes, sectors and political boundaries to advance the rights of women and girls and show how they are inextricably linked to economic, social and environmental justice for all.
These movements are proposing bold new alternatives for a different world.
For example, young women’s activism for environmental justice in Africa has put the spotlight on the impacts of extractive industries and unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.
And the Ni una menos movement in Latin America has built strong alliances across classes and generations to demand action on violence against women and girls.
Now is the time to build alliances and stand together for women’s rights.
One such alliance is the Generation Equality Forum, being convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France to achieve tangible results on gender equality during the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
Its vision is clear: equal participation of women and girls in political life and decision-making in all areas of life.
Here at the United Nations we are determined to lead by example.
In January this year, we achieved gender parity – 90 women and 90 men – in the ranks of our full-time senior leadership, two years ahead of the target that I set at the start of my tenure, and we have a roadmap for parity at all levels in the coming years.
This long overdue change is an essential recognition of the equal rights and value of women staff, and a fundamental instrument to change power relations within our Organization.
It is also about improving our efficiency and our effectiveness for the people we serve.
This Commission is an opportunity to further galvanize the momentum for gender equality and women’s rights that has been growing around the world.
I urge you to use this session to focus on what unites us and to strongly reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its full, effective and accelerated implementation.
Let us send a clear message to the world that women’s rights are human rights, and that gender equality is central to all the Sustainable Development Goals.
Thank you.
I am truly saddened that the extraordinary circumstances ushered in by the spread of the coronavirus have left us no choice but to postpone the full session of the CSW and, instead, gather for just this one day.
I know that activists and women’s groups around the world share my disappointment.
But I also take heart because I know we remain committed to the cause of gender equality.
We all understand the imperative of achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.
This is, quite simply, a question of justice.
As a student volunteer in the slums of Lisbon, throughout my political career, and as the leader of the United Nations refugee agency, I have always felt compelled to fight for justice, equality and human rights.
As Secretary-General, I see one overwhelming global injustice: gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls.
Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power.
We still live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture, and have done so for millennia.
Centuries of discrimination, deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems and our corporations.
This simply has to change.
This year, the world marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action.
Together, they define the most comprehensive and transformative global agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
With nations around the world searching for solutions to the complex challenges of our age, one way to get us on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals is to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.
As we look back on Beijing, I am particularly heartened to see a new generation of inspired young activists across the globe taking forward its spirit of constructive action and fearless resilience.
Their efforts are sorely needed. The vision of Beijing has been only partly realized.
Women in parliaments are still outnumbered three-to-one by men, women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men, and unpaid care and domestic work remain stubbornly feminized the world over.
In some areas, progress towards gender equality has stalled or even gone into reverse.
Some countries have rolled back laws that protect women from violence; others are reducing civic space; still others are pursuing economic and immigration policies that indirectly discriminate against women.
Women’s access to sexual and reproductive health services is far from universal.
We must push back against the pushback.
Dear friends,
A key legacy of the Beijing process was movement-building.
These past 25 years have seen growing, strengthened, vibrant, transnational and diverse women’s movements that are increasingly challenging slow and piecemeal progress by calling for urgent systemic change.
They are advancing gender equality and demanding accountability from governments and other powerful actors.
They are forging coalitions and working across themes, sectors and political boundaries to advance the rights of women and girls and show how they are inextricably linked to economic, social and environmental justice for all.
These movements are proposing bold new alternatives for a different world.
For example, young women’s activism for environmental justice in Africa has put the spotlight on the impacts of extractive industries and unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.
And the Ni una menos movement in Latin America has built strong alliances across classes and generations to demand action on violence against women and girls.
Now is the time to build alliances and stand together for women’s rights.
One such alliance is the Generation Equality Forum, being convened by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France to achieve tangible results on gender equality during the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
Its vision is clear: equal participation of women and girls in political life and decision-making in all areas of life.
Here at the United Nations we are determined to lead by example.
In January this year, we achieved gender parity – 90 women and 90 men – in the ranks of our full-time senior leadership, two years ahead of the target that I set at the start of my tenure, and we have a roadmap for parity at all levels in the coming years.
This long overdue change is an essential recognition of the equal rights and value of women staff, and a fundamental instrument to change power relations within our Organization.
It is also about improving our efficiency and our effectiveness for the people we serve.
This Commission is an opportunity to further galvanize the momentum for gender equality and women’s rights that has been growing around the world.
I urge you to use this session to focus on what unites us and to strongly reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its full, effective and accelerated implementation.
Let us send a clear message to the world that women’s rights are human rights, and that gender equality is central to all the Sustainable Development Goals.
Thank you.
