The President of the Executive Board of UN-Women has called for a compelling role for the global champion of women and girls in UN reforms.
His Excellency Alie Kabba was speaking at the First Regular Session of UN-Women Executive Board for 2021 in New York on Monday,15th February 2021.
Dr. Kabba applauded UN-Women on its ability to deliver targets and fulfill its mandate in partnership with Member States, civil society and all gender champions despite current global challenges.
He said 2021would be an important year for UN-Women and its Executive Board as crucial matters such as the next Strategic Plan 2022-2025 will be adopted by the Executive Board at its second regular session of 2021.
“Advancing gender equality and the rights of women and girls is essential to realizing the promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” he said, adding that the multifactorial and entrenched gaps between men and women still exist.
“This is the time for us all to step up and unite around the vision for a more just, inclusive and equitable world. We need inspiring actions around our common purpose with shared responsibility to achieving opportunity for all,” he emphatically stated.
In her opening remarks, the Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN-Women, Madam Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said that engagements with civil society, faith-based organizations and traditional leaders have been about community-driven efforts in Africa, promulgating bylaws to further criminalize harmful practices against women.
“We are playing a part in policy advice in every corner of the world, across the UN system where we are providing gender-sensitive advice, and in all our efforts, working together with our many external partners,” she said, adding that they have supported efforts in more than 60 countries and regional offices to enhance social protection and to promote economic resilience and shared responsibilities in the context of care.
Her Excellency Madam Maria De Jesus Ferreira from Angola, in a statement on behalf of the African Group, said Africa recognizes UN-Women’s efforts across its five outcomes defined in the Strategic Plan 2018-2021 and that the role of UN-Women remains relevant in supporting the full, effective and accelerated implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
By MOHAMED MASSAQUOI
INFORMATiON ATTACHE
TO THE SIERRA LEONE
PERMANENT MISSION
To THE UNITED NATIONS IN NEW YORK
Email:massakuoikenema@gmail.com
Tel:+19172940331
