Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress

On 17 March 2024, the United Nations joined the Great Ethiopian Run on the annual Women First Run to spotlight the theme for this year’s International Women’s Day - Invest in Women, Accelerate Development.

The event brought together 16,000 women and girls from different walks of lives, including Ethiopian officials, celebrities, representatives of the diplomatic community, international and local non-governmental organizations, UN heads of agencies and staff and students who took part in the race in support of the theme.

With increasing conflicts, climate change and polarizing societies, women’s rights are increasingly coming under threat or being rolled back and standing up for women’s rights is more important than ever. 

The number of women living in conflict-affected settings has increased by 50% since 2017. Climate change amplifies existing gender inequalities, posing specific threats to women’s and girls’ livelihoods. In many parts of the world, women and girls have the principal responsibility for securing food, water and energy for their families and communities. As climate change intensifies, women’s unpaid care work and domestic work increases.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Dr. Ergogie Tesfaye, underlined that it is critical to ensure the full participation of women who represent 50 per cent of the population in all aspects of the country’s development. 

She said the event (Women First Run) serves as a platform for sending this the message to every actor and individual in the country to ensure sustainable, inclusive and accelerated development. 

Investing in women, a human rights issue

Speaking on the theme of this year’s theme, UN Assistant-Secretary General and UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov Gender equality, said gender equality is the greatest human rights challenge, benefiting everyone. It is not just an aspiration but a catalyst for progress. 

“By ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls, we pave the way for a more equitable and sustainable world for all,”

“There is no smarter investment than investing in women and girls to reduce inequality and poverty and set the stage for development,” he emphasized.

Over 100 million women and girls could be lifted out of poverty if governments employed a comprehensive strategy aimed at improving access to education and family planning, fair and equal wages, and expanding social transfers.

As women and girls are the majority of the world’s poor, it is imperative to make the rights of women a top political and development priority. This includes ensuring women’s equal political participation and representation which is key to robust democracies and to guarantee that more inclusive decisions are made.

“Sustainable development can only be achieved when barriers faced by millions of women are addressed, and their potential is harnessed,” Dr. Alakbarov said.

Empowering and protecting women

Supporting women’s economic empowerment and ensuring access to education, health and other services are critical steps towards achieving gender equality and fostering inclusive development.

Investment in reproductive health, for example, very cost-effective and a key to economic development. Providing access to reproductive health, particularly family planning and maternal health services, helps women and girls avoid unintended or early pregnancies and unsafe abortions, as well as pregnancy-related disabilities.

Protecting women and girls from gender-based violence and harmful practices is also essential for their well-being and advancement. 

Harnessing the potential of girls 

Harnessing the potential of girls and addressing their challenges is also crucial. Girls around the world continue to face unprecedented challenges to their education, their physical and mental wellness, and the protections needed for a life without violence.

With adversity, however, comes resourcefulness, creativity, tenacity, and resilience. The world's 600 million adolescent girls have shown time and time again that given the skills and the opportunities, they can be the changemakers driving progress in their communities, building back stronger for all, including women, boys, and men.

Implementing gender-responsive financing 

Financial investment in women remains alarmingly low. An additional $360 billion annually is needed to achieve SDG 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The current economic structure is pushing more women into poverty. Today, 1 in every 10 women lives in extreme poverty, and projections indicate 342.4 million women and girls will not have moved out of extreme poverty by 2030 unless we shift current trends. 

Accelerating gender equality through energy investments 

In Ethiopia, access to energy is a binding constraint with a strong gender dimension. Lack of access to energy affects women’s well-being and economic opportunities. Ensuring access to energy propels transformative results for gender equality, such as reducing women’s time poverty and unleashing women’s economic empowerment. Three-quarters of those living without modern energy live in Africa, with disproportionate impacts on women and girls across the region. Therefore, closing energy access gaps for women and men through building sustainable energy systems that advance development and climate goals is essential.

UN in Ethiopia 

As a United Nations – our value is encapsulated in the words ‘We the Peoples’ to remind us the reason why countries came together to build a brighter future. People are at the center of everything we do. We strongly believe investing in women is a human rights imperative and cornerstone for building inclusive societies, and we will continue to provide unwavering support to Ethiopia to address its challenges and sustain the progress it has already made towards achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.