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UN Secretary-General issues message on International Womenâ€™s Day

07 March 2012 15:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a message on International Womenâ€™s Day â€“ 8 March. UN Office in Azerbaijan told APA that according to the message, gender equality and the empowerment of women are gaining ground worldwide.

â€œThere are more women Heads of State or Government than ever, and the highest proportion of women serving as Government ministers. Women are exercising ever greater influence in business. More girls are going to school, and are growing up healthier and better equipped to realize their potential.

Despite this momentum, there is a long way to go before women and girls can be said to enjoy the fundamental rights, freedom and dignity that are their birthright and that will guarantee their well-being. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the worldâ€™s rural areas. Rural women and girls -- to whom this yearâ€™s International Womenâ€™s Day is devoted -- make up one quarter of the global population, yet routinely figure at the bottom of every economic, social and political indicator, from income and education to health to participation in decision-making.â€

Secretary-General says that discriminatory laws and practices affect not just women but entire communities and nations.

â€œCountries where women lack land ownership rights or access to credit have significantly more malnourished children. It makes no sense that women farmers receive only 5 per cent of agricultural extension services. Investing in rural women is a smart investment in a nationâ€™s development.â€

â€œOn this International Womenâ€™s Day, I urge Governments, civil society and the private sector to commit to gender equality and the empowerment of women â€“ as a fundamental human right and a force for the benefit of all. The energy, talent and strength of women and girls represent humankindâ€™s most valuable untapped natural resource,â€ Secretary-General said.