Participation

“It is indeed hard to bear all these cruelties as a mother. Won't these happenings stir the world conscience?”

“I firmly believe that without women's participation, sustainable development would simply not be tenable. A host of measures, including promoting girls' education, undertaken half a decade ago started yielding dividends.

Spain has led initiatives in the humanitarian field, and we encourage the increasing participation of women both in the prevention of conflicts and in the construction and consolidation of peace, and in doing so we are determined in fighting violations and abuses against their freedom and dignity.

Mr. President; gender equality and women empowerment has now become an enduring theme of mankind's pursuit for equality and justice, a scale for measuring social progress, and an important goal in realizing sustainable Development. Women's political and economic participation in leadership roles and decision making strengthens democracy, equality and the economy. This is the essence of Goal 5.

Reference to Human Rights:
"They are showing us that in their daily lives, at their places of work, [...] in relations between men and women, the negative effects of inequitable development are still being felt."

Investing in our people will put us on the right path. And no investment has higher returns than what we invest in women and girls. Empowering women and girls, to make their own choices, to determine the destiny of their choosing, is not only the moral, responsible and the right choice to make; but it is the smart decision to take. Women constitute half of our population. They can and should contribute to our economy.