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Press Release:
UNIFEM Welcomes Recommendation for Stronger Gender Equality Entity
by High-Level Panel on System-Wide Coherence
Statement by Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director, UNIFEM
9 November 2006 - (UNIFEM) UNIFEM
welcomes the recommendation by the Secretary-General’s High-Level
Panel on System-Wide Coherence for a strong UN entity on gender
equality. The Panel’s endorsement of strengthening the structure,
status and resources for the UN’s gender equality architecture
responds to the many women and men worldwide who have spoken out
forcefully and convincingly in the consultations that the Panel
held to feed into the report.
UNIFEM welcomes the recommendation
that the UN’s gender architecture be headed by a Under Secretary-General,
a rank consistent with that of other heads of agency that will give
voice and visibility to women’s issues in the UN’s decision-making
fora. The selection of a strong leader with a proven track record,
knowledge and experience as an advocate for women’s empowerment
and rights is critical to ensure the effectiveness of the new gender
equality entity.
The Coherence Panel’s report
highlights how critical it is to strategically link the normative
and operational aspects of the UN’s work. This is particularly
critical for work on gender equality, where implementation has not
kept pace with normative commitments. The UN has a unique role to
play in supporting countries to implement their commitments to achieve
women’s empowerment and gender equality — ratification
of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (CEDAW), agreement to the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), creation of national plans of action and other efforts.
This will require that, in fleshing out the details of the proposed
gender entity, significant investment is made in its implementation
capacity and emphasis placed on strengthening its presence and influence
at the country level.
The Coherence Panel suggests that
programme and policy activities of the new gender equality entity
be ambitiously funded. With three decades of experience and an extensive
network of strong partnerships on the ground, UNIFEM stands ready
to deliver and can guarantee rapid and effective absorptive capacity
for increased funds. We strongly hope that member states will show
their commitment to a strengthened operational presence and make
the necessary resources available.
Media Inquiries:
Nanette Braun, Communications Specialist, UNIFEM Headquarters, +1
212-906-6829
From: http://www.unifemusa.org/drupal/?q=node/136&PHPSESSID=47c48604fa01a7dbcd8632dd8c91f0ce
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