On International Women's Day, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Pio Smith called for urgent action to protect gender equality gains and promote women's leadership, ensuring that progress is not only maintained but accelerated for future generations.
 |
| UNFPA Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Pio Smith. (Source: UNFPA) |
Thirty years ago, the world made a commitment: Gender Equality for All. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set an ambitious agenda, calling on governments to accelerate progress. This is particularly important in the Asia- Pacific region, home to more than half of the world’s women and girls.
Decades of advocacy and investment have yielded remarkable progress. More women now hold key leadership roles, laws protecting women have been strengthened, and access to health and education has improved.
However, in the current context, these hard-won achievements are gradually being lost.
Gender equality is not just stalling, it is reversing. Reproductive rights are being restricted. Gender-based violence is on the rise. Women’s political participation is stagnant, or in some places declining. Economic instability, conflict and climate disasters are exacerbating inequalities, leaving women and girls more vulnerable than ever.
Asia-Pacific is at a critical crossroads. Will we move forward to ensure equality and opportunity for all women and girls, or will we let decades of progress be swept away? The path we choose now will shape the future for generations to come!
Maternal mortality rates, which had been falling, have stagnated. In some countries, fewer than 30% of women have access to contraception. In the Pacific, one in two women has experienced intimate partner violence. Climate change is exacerbating inequality, forcing families to relocate and putting women at risk of exploitation and abuse. Women and children in the region are 14 times more likely to die in disasters than men.
In Afghanistan, a woman dies every two hours from preventable pregnancy complications, making it one of the most dangerous countries in the world to give birth. Less than a quarter of sexually active unmarried young people in the region use contraception, leaving them vulnerable to unwanted pregnancies, early marriages and limited life opportunities.
Take Maya, a 16-year-old girl from rural Nepal who dreamed of becoming a doctor, but her future was slipping away. Forced to drop out of school to help with household chores and pressured into early marriage, Maya’s options were stripped away. Her story reflects the reality of millions of girls in the region, where poverty, discrimination and harmful stereotypes rob them of opportunities. South Asia is home to an estimated 290 million child brides, 45% of the global total. For girls like Maya, the Beijing pledge remains unfulfilled.
 |
| A gender-equal future must ensure dignity, safety and health care for women at all stages of their lives. (Source: UNFPA) |
With rapidly ageing populations in Asia-Pacific, older women, who have spent their lives caring for others without financial security, are at increased risk of poverty, neglect and violence. A gender-equal future must ensure dignity, safety and health services for women at all stages of their lives.
As we approach the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the situation has never been more urgent. This year’s theme, Accelerating Gender Equality by Tackling Poverty and Strengthening Institutions and Finance, demands bold action.
In the Asia-Pacific region, where inequality remains deep, governments must combine political will with sustainable, strategic financing to create real change.
Governments must prioritize universal access to sexual and reproductive health services. Every woman and girl deserves the right to make informed decisions about their bodies and their futures. No woman should die in childbirth, and preventable maternal deaths must end.
We must enforce laws more strongly and build support systems to end gender-based violence. This means enforcing laws, providing survivor-centered support services, and changing negative stereotypes that perpetuate violence.
We need to actively promote women’s leadership in politics and in key decisions. The Pacific region has one of the lowest rates of female parliamentarian representation in the world. In Fiji, for example, the proportion of female MPs fell from nearly 20% to just over 10% in the most recent election.
The economic benefits of gender equality are clear. Closing the gender gap in employment could increase global GDP by up to 20%. Investing in midwives alone could prevent 40% of maternal and newborn deaths, saving 4.3 million lives by 2035. Countries that invest in gender equality have stronger economies, healthier populations, and are better able to withstand crises.
With just five years to go to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 on gender equality, we must change course. At the current pace, it will take centuries to close the gender gap. Gains could be lost just as quickly as they are regained.
Progress is not inevitable, but there is hope. History has shown that when women are given the opportunity to grow, they not only change their own lives, but also bring change to their communities and countries.
In a world of misinformation that threatens the rights of women and girls, we must not falter. This International Women’s Day, we must reaffirm the commitment the world made 30 years ago, for the Maya, for the millions still disenfranchised, for future generations.
The future we want, one free of gender-based violence, where women and girls have freedom to make their own decisions and access opportunities, is within our reach. But only if we move decisively forward. The time to act is now. Let’s make sure we stand firmly on the right side of history.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thoi-khac-quyet-dinh-cho-phu-nu-va-tre-em-gai-o-khu-vuc-chau-a-thai-binh-duong-306719.html
Comment (0)