Urgent need for empowerment

UN working with the government to make gender equality a reality by 2030

NARDOS BEKELE-THOMAS AND ANNE GITHUKU-SHONGWE

“WE SHALL not rest until we have won for our children their fundamental rights of freedom, justice and security.”

These are the last words of the petition delivered by the thousands of women who marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria in 1956.

During Women’s Month, as South Africa marks 25 years of democratic freedom, it becomes evident that it takes a committed generation to make a difference for the ones to come.

It also takes committed partners – government, civil society, the private sector and development partners – to make bold decisions that will transform the lives of women and girls.

As the UN, we are working closely with the government to make gender equality a reality by 2030 – the year by which countries are expected to have achieved Sustainable Development Goals.

With compelling evidence that gender inequality extracts enormous economic and human development costs, our first big solution is to ensure all government planning, spending, investment and accountability processes are geared towards gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The government’s approval in March this year of the Framework on Gender Responsive Planning, Budgeting, Monitoring Evaluation and Audit, means Parliament and provincial legislatures must include performance, and expenditure, on women’s empowerment and gender equality within their oversight functions.

It also means increased public investment in gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

Women bear the brunt of poverty, unemployment and inequality. The most recent quarterly labour force survey from Statistics SA confirms this picture: 31.3% of women are out of work compared to 27.1% of men.

The higher unemployment rate for women is further compounded by the fact that many women do unpaid work as caregivers in the home and work in informal sectors, both of which leave women vulnerable to unfair wages and discriminatory practices.

It is critical that the institutions and structures that perpetuate gender inequality and injustice within the economy are transformed. For example, public procurement expenditure alone amounts to approximately R1.2 trillion yet less than 10% of that goes to women-owned businesses.

Imagine what changes we could see in job-creation, GDP growth, and investment if women accessed procurement opportunities equally.

We must also direct our attention towards building the capacity of women entrepreneurs – especially micro-entrepreneurs – so they can participate in critical value chains such as agriculture, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing. In South Africa, for example, the agricultural sector contributes nearly 30% to GDP but less than 1% comes from women farmers.

Yet research from the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation shows that if women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry people in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million.

Equally important is that we must continue to emphasise the need to prevent and end violence against women and girls. The UN is encouraged that following the National Gender-based Violence Summit in November last year resulting from #Thetotalshutdown a year ago, implementation of the summit’s outcomes has begun.

Addressing negative norms and stereotypes must be at the core of prevention strategies, in addition to rapid response to new and ongoing cases.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda aspires to peaceful, just and inclusive societies to underpin sustained development.

In South Africa forms of insecurity threaten women and girls daily, including sexual and domestic violence, human trafficking; food insecurity; forced internal migration; harmful cultural practices (including child marriage and forced marriage); and targeted violence and discrimination against (non-heterosexual) LGBTIQA communities.

The UN has supported the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security to address these challenges and ensure that women participate and lead in peace-building.

All our efforts must put young people at the fore – young people are the reason for the push for equality now. They constitute a tremendous and essential asset worth investing in to secure a future where inequality does not exist. At the same time, girls and young women face incredible and disproportionate challenges, including access to quality education, health care or decent work. By harnessing our collective efforts and combining them with the ingenuity of young people, we can co-create opportunities to empower young people.

Co-ordinated investments in adolescent health and well-being, in education and in appropriate skills development are among the best investments to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to provide high economic and social returns.

In June, the UN launched Generation Equality, a campaign to mark next year’s 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and the 5th anniversary of the Sustainable Development Goals. The campaign calls for urgent and well-resourced action from governments, the private sector and civil society to close the gender gap.

We have seen what South Africa has been able to achieve in 25 years.

As we head for 2030, let us meet the campaign’s demands: equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid care and domestic work, an end to sexual harassment and violence against women and girls, health-care services that respond to women and girls’ needs, and equal participation in political life and in decision-making in all areas of life.

The UN stands ready to support South Africa in accelerating its efforts to realise equality in this generation.

We cannot rest until we have won for our children an equal future.

Bekele-thomas is the UN resident co-ordinator in South Africa and Githuku-shongwe is the UN Women South Africa Multi-country Office representative.