By Africanews
The United Nations opened the seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women Monday, with Secretary-General António Guterres declaring that “gender equality is, and always has been, a question of power,” as senior officials called for stronger access to justice for women and girls worldwide and warned that equality remains an unfulfilled promise.
The main theme for this year’s session is ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls, including by promoting inclusive and equitable legal systems, eliminating discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, and addressing structural barriers.
Guterres told delegates that progress on women’s rights has never come easily. “Not a single step forward for women’s rights has ever been given,” he said. “It has been won. Won by generations of women and girls, advocates and activists, community leaders and justice seekers.”
Guterres painted a sobering picture of persistent inequality, noting that women hold only 64 percent of the legal rights enjoyed by men globally. “Here we are, well into the 21st century, yet justice remains a distant dream for millions upon millions of women and girls,” he said. “Discriminatory laws persist. Patriarchal norms endure.”
The Secretary-General also warned that women continue to be sidelined in peace efforts despite evidence that their inclusion improves outcomes. While agreements last longer and societies heal more deeply when women participate meaningfully in peace processes and transitional justice, he said, “the world continues to fall short. Inclusion is proclaimed, yet women are absent from negotiating tables. Protection is pledged, yet sexual violence persists with impunity.”
Delegates are convening for the session during a time of immense global conflict and the Executive Director of U.N. Women, Sima Bahous, said that, “gender inequality is compounded by the evils of war and conflict,” she continued, “I echo all the pleas for a return to diplomacy, to dialog, for an end to the killing across the Middle East, Africa and beyond.”