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 1 March 2010
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Commission on Status of Women holds its 2010 session

01/03/2010

The Commission on the Status of Women started its two-week session in New York on Monday.

Asha-Rose Migiro

Asha-Rose Migiro

In her address to the session, Deputy United Nations Secretary-General, Asha Rose-Migiro applauded women's groups for their achievements in advancing gender equality around the world.

She said as a result of their work more people now understand that the empowerment of women and girls is not just a goal in itself, but a key to sustainable development, economic growth and peace and security.

She also noted that more and more leaders are now taking a public stance on decent work for all and speaking out against the pandemic of violence which she says is "a cause for global shame."

"Violence is the most blatant manifestation of discrimination against women, but it is not the only one. Injustice and inequality persist in developing and developed countries and in all regions. In 1968, the 23rd special session of the General Assembly called for the removal of laws that discriminate against women by 2000, but many such laws still exist across the globe."

Asha-Rose Migiro said in most countries gaps remain between passing laws and implementing them and negative stereotyping of women continues to prevent change.

In the next two weeks, the Commission on the Status of Women will look at various aspects of the issue of equality between men and women.

Jocelyne Sambira, United Nations Radio
(duration: 1'22")

Sound bites

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"Violence is the most blatant manifestation of discrimination against women, but it is not the only one. Injustice and inequality persist in developing and developed countries and in all regions. In 1968, the 23rd special session of the General Assembly called for the removal of laws that discriminate against women by 2000, but many such laws still exist across the globe."
Duration: 25 secs

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"Many countries have achieved gains in various areas, including education and the development of national laws, policy and programmes. Much of this progress can be attributed to the efforts of women's groups and networks at the global, regional and national levels. Women continue to play a vital role in advancing the agenda. Women's groups have shown tremendous creativity and determination in demanding commitment and holding their governments accountable for delivering on them. I applaud your work."
Duration: 35 secs

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"More and more people now understand that gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls is not just a goal in itself, but a key to sustainable development, economic growth and peace and security. More and more leaders, from all walks of life, women and men, are taking a public stance on decent work for all and other such issues. They are also speaking out against the pandemic of violence which remains a cause for global shame."
Duration: 31 secs

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"In particular, sexual violence during conflict is endemic. Last year, as you know, the Security Council adopted two strong resolutions on this issue. The Secretary-General's new Special Representative on the subject has just taken up her duties and the Secretary-General's Unite to End Violence against Women Campaign, and the recently launched network of women leaders are also helping to expand our global advocacy efforts."
Duration: 28 secs

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"In most countries, gaps remain between legislation and implementation and negative attitudes and stereotyping continue to prevent change. Women still outnumber men among the world's poorest people. Many women work in vulnerable and low-paid jobs without social protection and around the world, women are still generally paid less than men for the same work. Two thirds of illiterate adults are women, a statistic that has not changed in 20 years. Unpaid domestic and care giving work remains a predominantly female realm, limiting women's opportunities for education, training, employment and political activity. Only 25 countries had reached 30 per cent or more women parliamentarians in 2009. This marks a significant increase from 1995 but it is still insufficient."
Duration: 1'01"

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"We have also seen limited progress on reproductive health. Maternal mortality remains unacceptably high. Almost all these deaths could be prevented. So, while we have seen advances in the past 15 years, we have not seen enough. The message emanating from the regional meetings held in preparation for this CSW session is clear: We need to move from commitment to action. Many good lessons have been learned over the years in areas such as education, participation in decision-making, maternal health and ending violence against women."
Duration: 38 secs

Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy UN Secretary-General

"There are many good and promising practices to be learned, from legislative change, policy development and capacity building to set a specific initiative and efforts to improve data collection. Dear friends, let us use this session to explore how to scale up and better support such practices. The 2015 target date for the Millennium Development Goals is fast approaching. The Secretary-General and I are strongly committed to ensuring that the United Nations provides every possible support to governments and civil society in order to achieve general equality and women's empowerment."
Duration: 42 secs