UN WOMEN’S RIGHTS CHIEF WANTS US TO DO MORE: UNITED NATIONS: The United States likes to be seen as champion of the human rights causes around the world. But its role in advancing the international agenda on women’s rights suggests otherwise. On Thursday, UN Women, a relatively new international entity for gender equality released a new report which included some interesting statistics on UN member nations’ contributions. The UN Women’s statement on financial performance in 2012, which was circulated at a news conference, showed that the US lagged far behind its industrial counterparts in Europe in terms of supporting global projects aimed at bringing women at par with men. The report puts the US at 9th position among the top 20 donors, among whom Norway stays on top with a contribution of $25,193, 281 last year, followed by Sweden with $19, 969, 328. The record shows that even the tiny Scandinavian nation Finland had much more money to contribute for gender equality than the United States, the world’s largest economy. According to the report on financial performance, last year, the US contributed only $8, 324, 324 to the UN Women, while its neighbour, Canada donated no less than $13,900,000. When asked by Daily Times about the low level of US contribution, the newly-appointed Under Secretary General for UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, said she wondered why. Last month, Ms Phumzile, who hails from South Africa, replaced Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile as head of the UN Women. Ms Phumzile, who has served her country as deputy president, called for the United States to increase its funding “dramatically”, and said that UN Women’s work required at least $100 million in 2013. During the news conference, the top women’s rights UN chief regretted the fact that many governments were failing to implement several international agreements and pledges related to gender equality and women’s empowerment. She said right activists and civil society should hold such governments accountable. Ms Phumzile pointed to Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Latin America as areas where the international community needed much more to do to advance girls education, a task she described as her “top priority”. “I am going to adopt an integrated and collaborative approach,” she said, adding that UN Women cannot fulfil all the tasks alone to achieve gender parity. “It cant be done by just one institution,” she said amid calls for both private sector and civil society for financial and professional help to implement the international agenda on social, economic and political justice for women. (Courtesy by Daily Times)
Posted on: Fri, 13 Sep 2013 09:34:59 +0000
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