UN-Led Conference Opens On Gender Equality, Women’s Empowerment

By Minggu Simon Lhasa BANGKOK, Nov 19 (Bernama) -- Advancing the status of women and girls in the region was the main agenda of the United Nations (UN) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's (Escap) 'Asian and Pacific Conference on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+20 Review' Wednesday. “This 20-year review of the Platform for Action occurs at the nexus between the conclusion of the Millennium Development Goals and the formulation of Sustainable Development Goals,” said UN Under-Secretary-General and Escap executive secretary Dr Shamshad Akhtar in her opening address. Escap was attended by more than 700 participants, including ministers and representatives of civil society. “This conference provides a unique opportunity to recommit Asia and the Pacific to the goal of gender equality and the means of accelerating the realisation of human rights and opportunities for all women and men, girls and boys,” said Shamshad. The conference will review the progress and remaining challenges, and identify priority actions for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in Asia and the Pacific. It was convened by Escap, in cooperation with UN Women, in advance of next year’s 20-year commemoration of the adoption of the global agenda for gender equality - the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In her keynote address, Ashi Sangay Choden Wangchuk, the Queen Mother of Bhutan highlighted the urgency of eliminating violence against women and girls. Among others, she said the eradication of violence from the lives of women and girls, along with peace, democracy and sustainable development in the region would become possible when women and girls were valued...when there is equality in the exercise of power, and when decisions were made to fully resource comprehensive and evidenced-based interventions. Addressing the opening session, Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Yongyuth Yuthavong underlined that "gender equality is a matter of human rights and is integral to the peaceful, equitable and democratic development of our country and of the region.” The Asia-Pacific Conference concludes on Nov 20, with the anticipated adoption of the 'Asian and Pacific Ministerial Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment', which will serve as the regional voice in next year’s global discussions and agenda setting. -- BERNAMA