On 7 March, Nisha Onta, Knowledge Management Coordinator, Hannah Oblock and Morgan Anderson, WOCAN Interns, attended the UN Women’s ‘Equality for Women Is Progress for All’ International Women’s Day event earlier this morning at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Thailand in Bangkok. Introductory remarks were presented from Ms. Nanda Krairiksh, Director of the Social Development Division of ESCAP and Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary-General of the UN. Dr. Akhtar discussed the UN’s commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) focusing on gender equality and women’s empowerment. She urged that efforts and initiatives continue once the MDG deadline passes in 2015. Three aspects in particular that need to be held to the utmost importance are eliminating structural barriers of gender equality, international investment in women such as through education and credit allocation, and eliminating violence against women by attaining equal rights in bodily autonomy and reproductive health.
A panel discussion and interactive dialogue followed the introductory remarks. Panel speakers included:
- Ms. Roberta Clarke, Regional Director of the UN Women Office for Asia and the Pacific and Representative in Thailand
- Dr. Gita Sen, Founder and Executive Committee of the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), India
- Ms. Sivathani Thanenthiran, Executive Director of the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Malaysia
- Mr. Saman Zarifi, Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, International Commission of Jurists
The discussion began by assessing if the implementation of the MDGs has been a good step for establishing gender equality and empowerment in the Asian-Pacific region. Clarke expressed that the MDGs have allowed international communication and action to take place but measurable goals need to be created that extend beyond the MDGs to ensure future progress. Sen added that the MDGs have not had significant gains on reproductive and maternal/child health rights in particular. She explained that it is the role of states and governments to lead progress in these issues since women contribute substantially to economic growth through the informal labor sector in this region. Sen highlighted the main aspects of women’s empowerment that should be focused on leading up to the MDGs and after:
- Women’s access to land and resources
- Women’s participation in the informal labor sector
- Bodily integrity and autonomy
- Human development
- Violence against women
- Political/Legal representation
Thanenthiran explained in more depth the importance of establishing reproductive health and bodily autonomy for women. The practice of child marriage is still happening in Malaysia as well as other countries. Even though efforts to increase women’s education have been immense, they are not enough to ensure gender equality in reproductive rights.
Sen responded to what actions are in place to hold countries accountable to the MDGs after the deadline. The main concern is there are no violations in place to keep countries committed to pursuing gender equality other than the negative reflection on the country by the international community. That is why the presence of women’s organizations is critical to the progression of gender equality.
Thanenthiran voiced the fact that the MDGs missed the importance of eliminating violence against women. New issues have arisen such as gender-specific cyber violence that are not being addressed by governments effectively.
Zarifi provided insight into the legal framework of gender equality. He explained that laws reflect social values but can also lead and shape social values. This framework needs to be applied to gender equality. Currently women face systematic and legal/juridical discrimination, usually it is impossible for women to utilize the legal system to protect their rights. He described how there is an international framework developing around gender equality and that all countries will need to abide by this framework by accepting responsibility to protect women’s rights. For example, governments can become leading figures in stopping violence against women by criminalizing the violent acts and invoking jail sentencing to effectively spread the message to society that these behaviors are not acceptable.
Questions from the audience were raised such as how sexual harassment in the work place should be dealt with, how youth can become impactful in increasing gender equality, and how exploitation of women in the media impacts gender equality.
Clarke summarized the panel discussion with these concluding messages. Gender equality is essential to development. Gender equality is universal. Gender equality includes women’s private lives and the public sphere. Women should be ensured safety as equal members of society. Clark also emphasized that post 2015 development agenda should have a standalone gender goal.