Ministers and high-level officials from 45 countries in the Asia-Pacific region have committed to intensifying priority actions towards realising women’s rights and fundamental freedoms for an equal future.
The authorities from the countries in the Asia-Pacific region made the announcement in Bangkok after adopting the ‘Asia-Pacific Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review’ in Bangkok today, according to a press note issued by UNESCAP.
The declaration was issued after intense negotiations at a three-day Ministerial Conference, organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific this week.
The 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is an opportunity for us to take stock of our progress and accelerate efforts, said United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP Armida Alisjahbana. “I am delighted member states from across Asia-Pacific have seized it and agreed to an ambitious forward-looking Declaration which strengthens the region’s commitment to action on gender equality and women’s empowerment.”
“The significance of this region being able to adopt this Declaration today, which articulates clear and strategic actions to be taken to address the gender agenda, cannot be overstated,” highlighted the United Nations assistant-secretary-general and deputy executive director of UN Women Anita Bhatia.
While Asia and the Pacific have made remarkable advancements so far, the Declaration notes several emerging megatrends slowing the progress of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region, such as climate change, intensifying disaster risks, growing digital divide, rapid urbanization, rising inequalities within and between countries, and increasing acts of violence and extremism against women and girls.
The declaration has recognised women as key contributors and vital agents in combating poverty and inequalities and calls upon governments to ensure inclusive social protection systems, public services, and infrastructure.
With its adoption, countries also committed to ensuring women’s economic empowerment and the integration of women into the formal economy. Governments agreed to take appropriate measures and extend legal and social protections to ensure that all women and girls have equal opportunities for education, decent work, favourable conditions of work and financial inclusion.
Countries further committed to work together with key stakeholders to transform negative gender norms, discriminatory social attitudes and to eliminate structurally unequal power relations that persist between women and men.
They additionally highlighted the need to strengthen gender-responsive national statistical systems and data collection for an enhanced understanding of gender gaps in the region. Governments also called upon ESCAP to continue serving as a regional and sub-regional platform to promote greater dialogue and cooperation among countries.
The declaration mandates ESCAP, in collaboration with other UN agencies, to support relevant national institutions in monitoring and implementing the global Beijing Platform for Action commitments.
The declaration will serve as the regional input to the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in New York next March.
From Nepal, secretary of Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) Chandra Kumar Ghimire and joint-secretary Rudra Devi Sharma participated in the conference.
The authorities from the countries in the Asia-Pacific region made the announcement in Bangkok after adopting the ‘Asia-Pacific Declaration on Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Beijing+25 Review’ in Bangkok today, according to a press note issued by UNESCAP.
The declaration was issued after intense negotiations at a three-day Ministerial Conference, organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific this week.
The 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action is an opportunity for us to take stock of our progress and accelerate efforts, said United Nations under-secretary-general and executive secretary of ESCAP Armida Alisjahbana. “I am delighted member states from across Asia-Pacific have seized it and agreed to an ambitious forward-looking Declaration which strengthens the region’s commitment to action on gender equality and women’s empowerment.”
“The significance of this region being able to adopt this Declaration today, which articulates clear and strategic actions to be taken to address the gender agenda, cannot be overstated,” highlighted the United Nations assistant-secretary-general and deputy executive director of UN Women Anita Bhatia.
While Asia and the Pacific have made remarkable advancements so far, the Declaration notes several emerging megatrends slowing the progress of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region, such as climate change, intensifying disaster risks, growing digital divide, rapid urbanization, rising inequalities within and between countries, and increasing acts of violence and extremism against women and girls.
The declaration has recognised women as key contributors and vital agents in combating poverty and inequalities and calls upon governments to ensure inclusive social protection systems, public services, and infrastructure.
With its adoption, countries also committed to ensuring women’s economic empowerment and the integration of women into the formal economy. Governments agreed to take appropriate measures and extend legal and social protections to ensure that all women and girls have equal opportunities for education, decent work, favourable conditions of work and financial inclusion.
Countries further committed to work together with key stakeholders to transform negative gender norms, discriminatory social attitudes and to eliminate structurally unequal power relations that persist between women and men.
They additionally highlighted the need to strengthen gender-responsive national statistical systems and data collection for an enhanced understanding of gender gaps in the region. Governments also called upon ESCAP to continue serving as a regional and sub-regional platform to promote greater dialogue and cooperation among countries.
The declaration mandates ESCAP, in collaboration with other UN agencies, to support relevant national institutions in monitoring and implementing the global Beijing Platform for Action commitments.
The declaration will serve as the regional input to the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on the global review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in New York next March.
From Nepal, secretary of Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) Chandra Kumar Ghimire and joint-secretary Rudra Devi Sharma participated in the conference.
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