By J Nastranis<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEW YORK (IDN) \u2014 In a world facing multiple crises that put enormous pressure on communities, achieving gender equality is more vital than ever. Ensuring women\u2019s and girls\u2019 rights across all aspects of life is the only way to secure prosperous and just economies and a healthy planet for future generations. JAPANESE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to UN Women<\/a>, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment, one of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030<\/a> is an alarming lack of financing<\/a>, with a staggering USD 360 billion annual deficit in spending on gender-equality measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On International Women\u2019s Day, UN Women has called for the world to \u201cInvest in Women, Accelerate Progress\u201d as the best way to accelerate economic growth and build more prosperous, equitable societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is particularly urgent when war and crisis are eroding the achievements of decades of investments in gender equality. From the Middle East to Haiti, Sudan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, women pay the highest price for conflicts that are not of their making. The need for peace has never been more urgent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Climate change is accelerating persistent poverty gaps. As competition for scarce resources intensifies, livelihoods are threatened, societies become more polarized, and women bear an increasingly heavy burden:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe cannot continue to miss out on the gender-equality dividend. More than 100 million women and girls could be lifted out of poverty if governments prioritized education and family planning, fair and equal wages, and expanded social benefits,\u201d says UN Women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Investments in care services, such as daycare and elderly care, could create almost 300 million jobs by 2035. Closing gender employment gaps could boost gross domestic product per capita by 20 per cent across all regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The current reality is far from this. Programmes dedicated to gender equality represent only 4 per cent of official development assistance. To achieve gender equality and women\u2019s empowerment, an additional USD 360 billion per year is needed in developing countries. For example, this is less than one-fifth of the USD 2.2 trillion spent globally on military expenditures in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe areas needing investment are clear and understood. First and foremost, there must be an investment in peace. Beyond this, the investments needed include laws and policies that advance the rights of women and girls, the transformation of social norms that pose barriers to gender equality, guaranteeing women\u2019s access to land, property, health care, education, and decent work, and financing women\u2019s group\u2019s networks at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Missing out on the gender equality dividend<\/h5>\n\n\n\n