By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL-The U.N. will be addressing gender equality for women and girls as the 68th annual Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) meets from March 11-22 at U.N. headquarters. The theme for CSW68 in 2024 is “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.” CSW is the largest gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment at the U.N. and this year is especially crucial because gender equality is more than ever at the forefront on the world stage. As U.N. statistics reveal that currently, 10.3 percent of women around the globe live in extreme poverty and the U.N. reports that the issue needs to be 26 times faster to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. To that end, the U.N. said that substantial investment is needed to “accelerate progress.” The U.N. reports that the data from 48 developing economies indicates at least $360 billion is needed annually to support key global goals for women’s program – including ending poverty and hunger.
This year’s CSW is unique because on March 13, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) will hold an event to demonstrate how trade empowers women and how it plays a “pivotal role” in “facilitating women’s transitions from subsistence to sustainability by opening up opportunities for economic empowerment and social advancement.” The event, entitled “Empowering Women Through Trade: Breaking barriers and transforming subsistence into value chain participation” which will explore and highlight the issues and opportunities that determine women’s capacity to benefit from trade. Solutions and strategic interventions will be proposed to address the plethora of barriers women still face. Approached to prioritize key economic activities that have a higher potential to be integrated into regional or global values chains will be examined, along with ways to transform women’s economic participation. Chairing the event will be CEO/Founder of Women at the Table, Caitlin Kraft-Buchman. In addition, the discussion will cover challenges women traders, producers and small entrepreneurs still face while tackling issues like informality, financial inclusion through digital financial services, and the solutions offered by trade policymaking.
Meanwhile, the 68th CSW will include governments, civil society organizations, experts and activists from around the globe who will discuss, debate and agree on actions as well as investments to end poverty and advance gender equality for women. The CSW reports that over 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.” In addition, close to 300 million jobs could be created by 2035 through investments in care services. The U.N. said that closing gender gaps in employment could boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 25 percent across all regions.
