JWF Delivers Oral Statement at ECOSOC High-Level Segment 2015

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JWF Delivers Oral Statement at ECOSOC High-Level Segment 2015

On July 9, 2015, JWF attended the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) High-Level Segment 2015 meeting along with high-level representatives from various countries and other major civil society organizations at UN Headquarters, New York.

Gender equality matters in its own right as a prerequisite for the health and development of families, societies, and as a trigger of the economic growth.

Ms. Cemre Ulker, New York Program Coordinator of the Journalists and Writers Foundation

The High-Level Segment meetings considered the reports and statements of the UN Delegates, Commissions, and civil society organizations under the thematic issues of social development, gender equality, and women’s empowerment as a follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development and as overall inputs to the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Alongside JWF, attendees included high-level representatives of the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Zambia, Argentina, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Ukraine, the UN Development Programme, and UNESCO.

Ms. Cemre Ulker, JWF’s New York Program Coordinator, delivered the Foundation’s oral statement which emphasized the need for the Post-2015 Development Agenda to be gender-sensitive. Ulker stated that managing the transition from Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires civil society organizations to elaborate on the issues that were not in the spotlight in the MDGs. Ulker said, “Raising the awareness of the importance that ‘gender sensitivity’ plays in the new agenda is not enough by itself. Sustainable Development Goals should be supported with the action-oriented participation of the civil society organizations.”

In this respect, Ulker shared several policy proposals drafted by experts who attended the Istanbul Summit 2014: “Women’s Perspective on UN Post-2015 Development Agenda.” The proposals below support the involvement of civil society organizations in uplifting the status of women from an object to that of a subject.

  • Power of Institutionalizing Gender Equality
  • Political Empowerment of Women
  • Inclusive Legislation Recognizing Women’s Equal Rights
  • Investing in Girls – Educational Parity
  • Promoting Women’s Participation in Economic Growth
  • Challenging Cultural Attitudes and Gender Stereotypes

In light of these solutions, Ulker indicated that peaceful and harmonious societies would be achieved when women are free to develop their skills with the support of civil society organizations.