Commons Photo Credit: Source
General Comment
Many provisions are fine, but the framework is very narrow. Where are the SDGs and sustainable economic concepts? It does not argue strongly enough that women’s economic empowerment also contributes to achieving other targets. Neither does it make strong enough linkages with other sectors, notably education, health, political and cultural rights.
Issues for Consideration
- Use the agreed language of the BPfA “girls and women of all ages” throughout the text.
- The SDG framework needs to be placed more prominently. We want women’s economic empowerment related to inclusive, sustainable economic, social and political development (not “exponential or green economy”).
- The private sector must be made accountable when its actions affect other countries (extraterritorial), not just within its own borders)
- We must insist on better acknowledgement of the wide diversity of women that includes indigenous women and rural women and girls, differences by gender identity,ethnicity, religion, social, political and cultural status—all affecting women’s ability to excercise voice on economic issues.
- Economic empowerment is much too narrowly defined here as jobs or control over resources. It has to begin with equal decision-making power over how social reproductive work is distributed at home (not just issues of paternal leave).
For example, rural women’s economic empowerment will come mostly from access to markets, infrastructure (water, electricity, safe transport), and education—not just being employed. - Governments should stop implementing neoliberal policies that lead to austerity that have negative effects on women by cutting essential services and budgets that support gender equality policies. Neoliberal policies that are implemented without social protection policies have far reaching long-term effects that are detrimental to social cohesion and community life.
- Macroeconomic policies (including fiscal, monetary and trade policies) should work to ensure human rights– including women’s human rights– are the ethical framework for macroeconomic policies.
- Governments should institutionalize participatory mechanisms of accountability concerning the realization of women’s human rights.
- Measures should be taken not only to make STEM more attractive to women but also to eliminate all discrimination in the field of work concerning women that have received STEM training
Contact: Soon-Young Yoon, UN representative, IAW
YoonCSW@aol.com
Suggestions for Draft Agreed Conclusions by NGO CSW New York:
CSW61 Zero Draft NGO Comments -FINAL
