World Should Invest in Women and Unleash Their Potential for Good: Amina J Mohammed
HOUGHTON,
Gender inequality is the most pervasive inequality globally - and it is increasing.
Addressing the 15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture at the
She pointed out that a report issued by the
"Most disturbing," said Mohammed, "is that this number has increased from the 170 years researchers calculated a year ago - meaning that we are in fact seeing the gender equality gap increasing, rather than decreasing".
Mohammed was given a standing ovation at the end of the speech - an honour that reduced her to tears.
In her address, Mohammed said the world was witnessing a "movement building momentum to say no more will this violence against half our populations (our mothers, our sisters, our daughters) be invisible or, worse still, treated with indifference".
But gender inequality was still "pervasive globally in every country and every society".
"Up to one in three women has experienced violence in her lifetime. There are nearly 50 countries that do not even have laws against domestic violence. In 37 countries, marriage excuses rape," she said.
Mohammed said the empowerment of women was more than a social imperative or a matter of justice. "According to the
"When women are kept out of the labour force, everyone pays the price. Put another way, we know that women's equal participation in the labour force would unlock
"We have evidence that one of the greatest predictors of stability and resilience to conflict is levels of gender equality in a society, and that women's meaningful participation in peace processes increases the sustainability of peace by 30 percent over the long term," she added.
Mohammed said this was a critical moment for gender inequality.
She said: "Our current global context includes sustained and horrifying levels of violence across a number of new and protracted conflicts, taking development gains backwards and leading to the highest levels of individuals uprooted from their homes at any time since the end of WWII. One of the greatest threats to global security is violent extremism.
"Extremists of all types seek to curtail women's rights - the rights to education, to health, to political life, freedom of association and movement, and freedom to make choices. Violent extremists are using gender norms to radicalise and recruit, redefining roles and identity of men and women. It is for this reason that gender equality is an anathema - and a big part of the solution - to ending violent extremism."
Noting that "our global village is truly in a mess", Mohammed said leadership was needed as was investment in women's empowerment along with a cultural shift in mindsets so that women's equality is a given in all societies and not a luxury.
"Just as the world came together to support the end of subjugation on the basis of race in this country, we need today to birth a new movement that calls for true equality, everywhere. We as leaders must stand up and take collective responsibility for our current failings, but also for the actions we must take to end the conflict, injustice, inequality, corruption and ensure true inclusive democracy, peace and prosperity for our people."
Mohammed said the world was witnessing "an unprecedented moment - a global momentum that may have begun in a perhaps unlikely place - but which is carrying reverberations in many corners of the world".
She said the #MeToo movement is "opening new conversations, in some cases frightening, establishing new shared understandings of unacceptable behaviour, and shedding new light on the pervasive nature of gender inequality".
"It is an opportunity to shift the tide, and one that we should collectively seize for positive change," said Mohammed.
She called for everyone to push for gender equality.
"Just as the world came together to support the end of subjugation on the basis of race in this great country, we need today to birth a new movement that calls for true equality, everywhere. We as leaders need to be collectively responsible, we need to stand up and take collective responsibility for our current failings, but also for the actions we must take to end the conflict, injustice, inequality, corruption and ensure true inclusive democracy, peace and prosperity for all our people.
"I would like to leave you all with a call to action: to invest in the missing 50 percent of our human asset base, the potential of our women and unleash their power for good."
The Mandela Initiative came about as a result of the 2015 Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture by economist
Read the full speech at www.nelsonmandela.org.
The 15th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture: full speech
THE DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL
THE 15TH NELSON MANDELA ANNUAL LECTURE
"CENTRING GENDER: REDUCING INEQUALITY THROUGH INCLUSION AND
SUSTAINABILITY"
"I so am deeply grateful to the
"As Deputy Secretary-General of the
"I am particularly honoured to be here this year, as we approach the centenary commemoration of Nelson Mandela's birth in 2018.
"My feelings about Nelson Mandela - Madiba - are deep and I know hey are shared across this country, this continent and our world. Twenty-seven years ago, Mandela was freed after 27 years of unjust imprisonment. At 71, he finally walked his long road to freedom. We all stand today on his shoulders, with a shared sense of respect, admiration and pride for the feat that he accomplished.
"As a young girl growing up in
"History has since then moved on - but we should never forget this solidarity. To reach across borders is to transcend differences, protect our core values and combat all that threatens our humanity. Today, our world needs this more than it has ever done. The fabric of our society is fast losing its vibrancy and its strength.
"Multilateralism, peace, development and human rights are all threatened by a leadership vacuum across the globe. Yet we see sparks of hope in our continent where the African spirit of solidarity is expressed even in the most challenging of times. For example, in
"As a young girl, my earliest memory of the liberation struggle was when I was 11 years old and I asked my father if we could visit
"He sighed and said no, that was impossible for a family like ours of mixed heritage.
"Why not? I wanted to know.
"He tried to explain the unexplainable; that as it was constituted - black father, white mother - we would be breaking the law.
"In apartheid
"The horrifying reality saddened me - that human beings could do such things to one another.
"Later in life, like millions of other people, I instinctively understood that this racist system was a truly frightening abomination - a violation of all that makes us human, and a threat to the fabric of society.
"Yet the unbending courage and conviction of Nelson Mandela, his leadership and his comrades kept the world full of hope.
"
"In the course of history, among great leaders, Mandela towered - but he was the first to say he was not a perfect human. In fact, yesterday I had the privilege of being given a tour of the office and archives at the
"He would have preferred to live as a man - to remind us that the possibility of such humanity exists in each of us - than to be turned into a myth.
"Mandela confessed some qualities that could be considered flaws. But he manifested them as virtues.
"For example, we learned he was stubborn - but his stubbornness was attached to a profound sense of fairness. Nelson Mandela was unrelentingly stubborn where it counted: in fighting for justice and equality. These are core values that I believe are reflected in the issue that I am pleased to have been asked to speak about today - centring gender, and reducing inequality through inclusion and sustainability.
"This struck me as an ideal subject for a lecture in the name of Nelson Mandela, as it provides an opportunity for me to address what remains perhaps the most pervasive inequality globally, in every country and every society - that of gender inequality. And to reflect on it at an opportune moment - as we launch today the 16 Days of Activism and mark the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women; but also as we witness a now a global movement, building momentum to say no more will this violence against half our population (our mothers, our sisters, our daughters) be invisible or, worse still, treated with indifference. I humbly ask that we stand in honour of those who have lost their lives because of gender violence, and even more, those who have survived.
"Nelson Mandela's profound legacy contains the inspiration we need to address the core of my lecture: putting people at the centre to reduce inequality through inclusion and sustainability.
"Contemplating the driving force behind his spirit - its depth, its compassion, and source of energy - I would have to sum it up by simply saying: it is the courage of one's convictions.
"Madiba was courage, even when in his darkest moments he thought he may not have any to give.
"His moral courage was defined in his DNA. He would never compromise his convictions even at the cost of his freedom.
"He stared life-threatening danger in the face and refused to be cowed. He lived through his family's suffering for his long walk to freedom, was also that of his nearest and dearest.
"When he declared that he was prepared to die for the ideal of a democratic and free society, this was not an academic promise even if it started as an ideal.
"Mandela made his declaration in an entirely undemocratic, racist society before a judge who was weighing whether to impose the death penalty.
"The judge stopped short of capital punishment - but his sentence to imprisonment on
"Today, I had the immense honour of seeing
"As I walked across the landscape, I thought about Nelson Mandela's arrival, along with his fellow political prisoners.
"The prison warders at that time, we understood, spoke to them like animals - urging them to move faster. But Mandela led his fellow political prisoners to slow their pace.
"The State could rob Mandela of his freedom, but never of his dignity.
"As Mandela himself said often, the struggle succeeded thanks to the bravery and sacrifice of thousands of nameless individuals who stood up to the violent, racist ideology of apartheid and gave their lives to the cause.
"We must honour this legacy by realising their vision of true equality. We should reflect today if we have stayed faithful to the sacrifices that were made.
"The
"In so many ways,
"The
"This includes my colleague, the outstanding head of
"She follows in the footsteps of other South Africans, including
"There are many others - there is such a long list that I would never do justice to it - Charlotte Maxeke,
"In the mid-1950s, some 20 000 women of this country marched to protest the pass laws.
"Their slogan was powerful: You Strike a Woman, You Strike a Rock.
"Many have cited this moment as a turning point in the struggle against apartheid.
"From that moment in the 1950s, through the struggle, the negotiations for a democratic country, and the constitutional assembly that provided this country with one of the most progressive constitutions globally,
"They are proof of one simple fact. Given the opportunity to participate fully, we have in half our population the capacity, resources, and potential to address the most pressing challenges we currently face. What is needed is to break down institutional and attitudinal barriers and invest in the full contribution of women and girls to their societies and their countries.
"Gender equality was central to Madiba's vision of equality, and central to the struggle for freedom.
"This was the result of women's tireless mobilisation. But it was also a reflection of leadership that understood that equality cannot be selectively applied. Leadership who held a vision of a society where there was no discrimination on the basis of race, class, gender or any other category.
"Nelson Mandela taught that freedom is indivisible, noting that "the chains on any one of my people were the chains on all of them; the chains on all of my people were the chains on me".
"Speaking before the first
"He practised what he preached. But we still should reflect: are we practising what we preach?
"A number of women here today were present in 1992 at an historic
"This is important, as when it comes to gender equality we are often told that change takes time - perhaps even generational change. This country is evidence that wholesale change is possible.
"During the democratic transition, women's representation in
"Yet sadly, the long walk to freedom for women and adolescent girls globally remains unfinished.
"The continuous battle of overcoming structural barriers, as well as cultural and social challenges, must be fought with a new narrative that addresses the current context and constituency of young people that have long been left behind.
"Around the world, women still hold less than one third of senior management positions in the private sector. Fewer than one quarter of all parliamentarians are women.
"Violence against women - in homes and war zones - remains a global pandemic. Up to one in three women has experienced violence in her lifetime. There are nearly 50 countries that do not even have laws against domestic violence. In 37 countries, marriage excuses rape.
"This country knows these statistics all too well. Reading the front page of a
"And while we have seen positive progress to address violence against women in some countries, in others we have in fact witnessed a pushback on women's rights and the dismantling of legal protections of violence, weakening our struggling democracies.
"On the economic front, if we look at the labour force we find women doing some of the most important work in society for the least compensation. Unpaid domestic work - which often involves taking care of loved ones - falls on three times more women than it does men. In the formal workplace, women's equal contribution is not valued equally. And women earn on average
"A report issued recently by the
"Reproductive health services and reproductive rights have been hard won in many places - but now they face new threats. This despite the fact that we know that access to family planning measures are some of the most impactful tools we have to address poverty amongst women.
"These stark statistics and facts are only one side of the picture, however. The empowerment of women is more than a social imperative or a matter of justice. It is essential to achieving sustainable development, protecting our environment and securing peace.
"According to the
"When women are kept out of the labour force, everyone pays the price. Put another way, we know that women's equal participation in the labour force would unlock
"We have evidence that one of the greatest predictors of stability and resilience to conflict is levels of gender equality in a society, and that women's meaningful participation in peace processes increases the sustainability of peace by 30 percent over the long term.
"There could not be a more important moment to realise the importance of gender equality to the challenges that we face. Our current global context includes sustained and horrifying levels of violence across a number of new and protracted conflicts, taking development gains backwards and leading to the highest levels of individuals uprooted from their homes at any time since the end of WWII.
"One of the greatest threats to global security is violent extremism. I have seen its effects in my own country and around the world, and I have met with the survivors.
"Extremists of all types seek to curtail women's rights - the rights to education, to health, to political life freedom of association and movement, and freedom to make choices.
"Violent extremists are using gender norms to radicalise and recruit, redefining roles and identity of men and women.
"It is for this reason that gender equality is an anathema - and a big part of the solution - to ending violent extremism.
"Coming from north-east
"Two weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity ... an extraordinary set of meetings in my office.
"As Deputy Secretary-General, it is common for me to speak to high-level officials, but that day I met with teenagers.
"First, I had a dialogue with a young girl named
"She is a Yazidi woman who was captured and held by
"I was deeply moved by her plight. But what struck me even more than her incredible story of endurance and survival, was her powerful voice for justice.
"This young girl had been through worse crimes than most of us could ever imagine. And yet she was outspoken, strong and unstoppable advocate for the cause of peace, and an end to violence against women and girls the world over.
"As we walked out of my office there were two young women, ready for my next appointment, one of whom was
"The young woman from
"I left that day, knowing that there is nothing more important than giving girls like this a platform to reach the world for those left behind without an authentic voice.
"Sadly, the context we face in our world today poses new threats that go beyond terrorism; we also face the major threat to security and development that is posed by climate change, exacerbating poverty and vulnerability of the poorest in our societies.
"No one can deny that climate change is real, is man-made and has a role in pushing up global temperatures - and therefore we know mankind is responsible for and can address the problem before it is too late. The signs are with us everywhere across the globe.
"We know that women - especially in poor countries - are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
"In the 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone, five times as many women as men died. In the
"These crises as a result of climate change can be turned into opportunities to build back better for all, addressing the investment gap for women that reduces the potential and value of a country by over 50 percent.
"Socially, environmentally and politically, women have proven that when you invest in them, you get results for all. The question is how to build on these gains and achieve true gender equality.
"The answer is investment in women's empowerment in all its ramifications along with a cultural shift in mindsets so that women's equality is a given in all societies and not a luxury.
"Dear friends, I have skirted the surface of the huge challenges that we face today and I believe from
"But I believe all is not lost. In 2015, the world came together, and the 2030 Agenda for
"We owe a great debt of gratitude to a wonderful lady, Mama GraAsectiona Machel, who served as one of the eminent Sustainable Development Goal advocates - and a member of the
"The 2030 Agenda constitutes a universal plan of action for ending poverty and ensuring a life of dignity for all.
"It has been called a "declaration of interdependence", composed of 17 goals and 169 targets. Often people ask me which one is my favourite, and they want me to say Goal 5 - gender - but like my children, they are all wonderful, and together they are incredible. The goals represent unprecedented ambition to free humankind from the tyranny of want. They envisage transforming the way governments interact with people, businesses interact with communities, and all of us interact with our environment. The goals have already achieved a seismic shift in our approach to development.
"The framework builds on the many successes since the 1995
"We could literally fill the entire hall with documents proving that well-educated women who have equality in political participation and the jobs market raise income for everyone - and improve living standards for generations to come. So we know what to do, and even how to do it.
"Women and girls are at the heart of the SDGs. These goals can change history by ensuring women's rights and leadership around the world.
"In the
"His new strategy on gender parity provides a roadmap to reach gender parity within the
"But we will only realise the potential of the SDGs if we take seriously the values of inclusion and leaving no one behind, literally leaving no one behind. The sustainable change that we need to see will only be possible if we are including young people - girls and boys.
"I have spoken at length about women and equality, because it is true that women continue to be less equal than men globally.
"But gender is not equal to women. Gender inequality, norms, and stereotypes affect men and women, girls and boys. When young boys are taught that it is not manly to cry, they learn to suppress their emotions. When young men are taught that violence is masculine and accepted, we create the next generation of those who seek solutions at the barrel of a gun. When society dictates the role of men as breadwinners or aloof and distant fathers, we disempower families and create public policies that don't match the reality of households, our communities and our societies.
"In the past week I have invited those on social media to send me their thoughts on how we can achieve gender equality. I want to thank all who participated. Many of the comments were insightful, and spoke of concrete actions and the need to ensure financial inclusion, address violence, and increase protections and services. But what also struck me were the number of men who spoke of the need for gender inequality not to dispossess or disempower men. While the dismantling of privilege is never easy, this country has perhaps shown us that it can only be done sustainably when all see the benefits for themselves and feel a greater part of the solution.
"Gender inequality affects every one of us. And addressing it is equally our shared responsibility. That change will need to happen with our youth. Over the past two days we have heard the voices of our young girls here in
"We are witnessing as we speak an unprecedented moment - a global momentum that may have begun in a perhaps unlikely place - but which is carrying reverberations in many corners of the world. The #MeToo movement is opening new conversations, in some cases frightening, establishing new shared understandings of unacceptable behaviour, and shedding new light on the pervasive nature of gender inequality, as did the He4She campaign. It is an opportunity to shift the tide, and one that we should collectively seize for positive change.
"Friends, ladies and gentlemen, Nelson Mandela had a very long walk to freedom. Most of us could not even fathom this journey. At the end, he said he "discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds there are many more hills to climb".
"Leadership at all levels is the key.
"Madiba showed tremendous integrity in stepping off the platform when the applause was loudest. Unfortunately he didn't infect many with that virus as he left.
"We should be inspired by his necessarily long walk and make a fast run to gender equality.
"We need to galvanise the international community, which includes us all, to invest in women and girls - and to give them space - so they can contribute to progress.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am perhaps the first person to deliver this lecture who never met Nelson Mandela.
"In a sense, I represent generations of people to come who will take inspiration from his life without ever having had the privilege of a personal encounter.
"However, I believe I learned a little of who he was through a great woman of
"Collectively, we see the hills before us - and we are challenged to climb them. For climb we must. There is no other option.
"I feel, if we feel defeated, we can return to Madiba's indomitable bravery and humanism.
"Nelson Mandela possessed a character that none of us could emulate - but we can all be inspired to try.
"Just as the world came together to support the end of subjugation on the basis of race in this great country, we need today to birth a new movement that calls for true equality, everywhere. We as leaders need to be collectively responsible, we need to stand up and take collective responsibility for our current failings, but also for the actions we must take to end the conflict, injustice, inequality, corruption and ensure true inclusive democracy, peace and prosperity for all our people.
"I would like to leave you all with a call to action: to invest in the missing 50 percent of our human asset base, the potential of our women and unleash their power for good. To make good on the new era of the
"My promise to you as woman of colour, a Muslim, a proud mother of six and a grandmother of one in a position of privileged responsibility serving alongside AntAlnio Guterres, to strive to leave the
"Finally, in Madiba's words yet again, he says, it always seems impossible until it's done.
"I thank you all for your kind patience and attention.
"Thank you."
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