The economic empowerment of women and girls

As an organisation that promotes the values and the work of the United Nations, the United Nations Association of Australia (UNAA) sees the economic empowerment of women and girls as central to the protection, promotion and fulfillment of human rights. The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), held annually at UN Headquarters in New York, brings together representatives of United Nations Member States, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), to agree on strategies to promote women’s enjoyment of their political, economic and social rights. The Thematic Priority for the 61st CSW, to be held in March 2017, is ‘The Economic Empowerment of Women in the Changing Field of Work.’ This theme, and the UN Secretary General’s announcement of a high level panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, demonstrates a global commitment to advancing the economic empowerment of women and girls. This global commitment provides a welcome opportunity for increased civil society engagement on women’s economic empowerment. The United Nations’ commitment to women’s empowerment coincides with a period of renewed attention to violence against women and children in Australia. With gender equality the subject of work globally and nationally, it is opportune that we harness the power, expertise and experience of women’s voices to positively shape a powerful agenda for change. The UNAA is proud to present this report on the economic empowerment of women and girls, which is the culmination of a two day consultative forum on women’s economic empowerment, convened by the UNAA in Melbourne in September 2016. Comprising a series of expert led consultations on the economic empowerment of women and girls, the forum was attended by more than 140 delegates and harnessed the expertise and lived experience of individuals from a broad range of professional and community settings.