 To mark the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), UN-HABITAT has helped to launch a new inter-agency web feature on gender equality and sustainable urbanisation.
The feature, a joint effort of the UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality, will highlight some of the major issues around the gender debate. The new web feature provides evidence from a wide variety of United Nations sources on the economic and social costs of gender inequalities in cities. It also draws attention to the positive impact of better governance and targeted interventions to tackle ongoing discrimination in various aspects of urban life. Commenting on the initiative, UN-HABITAT Executive Director Mrs. Anna Tibaijuka stressed the importance of incorporating urban dwellers in the fight for gender equality. “Since the adoption of the Convention in 1979, the women’s movement has mostly focused on the plight of poor, rural women. But today, slightly more than half the world’s people live in urban areas. Rapid urbanisation and slum growth is affecting many parts of the developing world. The fight for gender equality must be intensified in urban areas to reflect demographic shifts,” said Mrs. Tibaijuka. Currently, 185 countries—over ninety percent of the members of the United Nations—have ratified the Convention, which is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Related links: UN WomenWatch feature: Gender Equality and Sustainable Urbanisation UN-HABITAT resources on gender equality |
