AGRA YOUTH MODEL UNITED NATIONS 2018

Commission on the Status of Women Background Guide

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Dear Delegates,

As a part of the Executive Board, it is our responsibility to facilitate your educational experience
at the simulation of the “Commission on the Status of Women” at Agra Youth Model United
Nations 2018.

The agenda under discussion would be “Challenges faced by women and girls with respect to
the achievement of the SGDs (1, 5 and 8).”

This agenda would require you to adopt a multidimensional approach and envision the work
done for promoting the rights of children, the factors affecting it and the subsequent reforms, if
any, in a new paradigm.
This background guide will give you an overview of the topic at hand and the work of the
Committee. It contains some basic elements on the topic that will guide your research, further,
specific links that will prime you on your country’s policy, as well as the questions that have to
be answered in the draft resolutions that you may propose. However such mentions do not
limit the scope of discussion in the committee at all. We expect from all delegates, an active
participation in the proceedings of this committee in order to have a fruitful discussion on a
pertinent global problem. For that purpose, extensive and thorough research is expected of you
over and beyond this study guide. You may think of this study guide as merely an initiation to
your research, defining the broad aspects.
“UNA-USA Rules of Procedure” shall be adhered to, for the due course of this committee
simulation. For all those participating in a Model UN conference for the first time, and
otherwise, kindly refer to link for understanding the procedure. This goes without saying, if you
have any questions or doubt regarding your preparation for the committee, please feel free to
contact any of us. We wish you all the best in your preparation for this committee and we are
looking forward towards a good debate expectantly.

Yours Sincerely,

Harshmita Kaur
Vice Chairperson
CREDIBILITY OF SOURCES IN THE COMMITTEE
Please note that as a representative of a country’s government, you are free to look at all types
of sources for your reference or preparation. However, it is advised that you cross-check facts
from at least one of the following –

1. News Sources

a.Reuters:
It is an independent private news agency, which mostly covers international events of
importance.
Website: www.reuters.com

b. State Operated News Agencies: In many countries, the government itself partially or fully
controls the media, and thus the subsequent flow of information. Hence, news reports from
such outlets can be used by a participant to substantiate or refute a fact in context of that
government’s position on the agenda in the council. For examples,

i. RIA Novosti (Russia)

ii. IRNA (Iran)
iii. Xinhua News Agency and CCTV (People’s Republic of China)

2. Government Reports

These are reports which various organs, ministries, departments or affiliated agencies of a
government, release. They can be used in a similar way as the State Operated News Agencies
reports. You may visit different governmental websites for the same.

For Example,
a. State Department of the United States of America
Website: www.state.gov

b. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

Website: www.eng.mil.ru/en/

c. Ministry of Foreign or External Affairs of various countries like India

Website: www.mea.gov.in
3. Permanent Representatives to the United Nations

This portal serves as a one-stop-shop for finding documents which reflect the activity of a
country at United Nations or its affiliated bodies. The documents from these individual country
websites also serve as a source for finding official statements by that country on various
agendas. Do take note, that the nature of websites varies a lot from country to country.
Source Link: www.un.org/en/members/
(Click on a particular country to get the website of the Office of its Permanent Representative.)

4. Other Multilateral or Inter-Governmental Organizations

These are international organisations which are apart from the United Nations. Usually one
may find these organisation based around a specify region like South Asia, and a specific
purpose such as trade, security or cooperation. Documents from the same can be deemed
credible; most certainly for the countries which are a part of that organisation.

For example,

a. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

Website: www.saarc-sec.org

b. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)

Website: www.nato.int/cps/en

c. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)

Website: www.opec.org/opec_web/en

5. United Nations and Affiliated Bodies

All reports or documents from the United Nations, its organs or affiliated bodies may be
considered as a credible source of information.
Website: www.un.org

a. Organs such as,

i. UN Security Council
Website: www.un.org/Docs/sc/

ii. UNGA
Website: www.un.org/en/ga/
b. UN Affiliated bodies such,
i. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)|
Website: www.iaea.org

ii. The World Bank (WB)

Website: www.worldbank.org

6. Documents from Treaty Based Bodies

These are bodies which are strictly formed for looking after the implementation of an
international treaty or agreement. These agreements are pertinent to a specific theme; a
document which various countries signand agree upon. For example,

a. The Antarctic Treaty System

Website: www.ats.aq/e/ats.html

b. The International Criminal Court

It is based on an agreement known as the Rome Statute.
Website: www.icc-cpi.int
 ABOUT THE COMMITTEE

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal, global inter-governmental
body, exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of
women. A functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), it was
established by Council resolution 11(II) of 21st June 1946.
The CSW is instrumental in promoting women's rights, documenting the reality of women's
lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the
empowerment of women.
In 1996, ECOSOC in resolution 1996/6 expanded the Commission's mandate and decided that it
should take a leading role in monitoring and reviewing progress and problems in the
implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and in mainstreaming a
gender perspective in UN activities. Following the adoption of the “2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development” in 2015, the Commission now also contributes to the follow-up to the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development, so as to accelerate the realization of gender equality and
the empowerment of women (ECOSOC resolution 2015/6).

During the Commission’s annual two-week session, representatives of UN Member States, civil
society organizations and UN entities, gather at UN headquarters in New York. They discuss
progress and gaps in the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action, the key global policy document on gender equality, and the 23rd special session of the
General Assembly held in 2000 (Beijing+5), as well as emerging issues that affect gender
equality and the empowerment of women. Member States agree on further actions to
accelerate progress and promote women’s enjoyment of their rights in political, economic and
social fields. The outcomes and recommendations of each session are forwarded to ECOSOC for
follow-up.
UN Women supports all aspects of the Commission’s work. The Entity also facilitates the
participation of civil society representatives.

Methods of Work

The Commission adopts multi-year work programmes to appraise progress and make further
recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the Platform for Action. These
recommendations take the form of negotiated agreed conclusions on a priority theme.
Under its current methods of work, established by ECOSOC resolution 2015/6, at each session
the Commission:
● Holds a ministerial segment to reaffirm and strengthen political commitment to the realization
of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls as well as their human rights and
to ensure high-level engagement and the visibility of the deliberations of the Commission;
● Engages in general discussion on the status of gender equality, identifying goals attained,
achievements made and efforts under way to close gaps and meet challenges in relation to the
priority theme and the review theme;
● Considers one priority theme, based on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the
outcomes of the 23rd special session of the General Assembly and possible linkages to the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development;
● Evaluates progress in implementing agreed conclusions from previous sessions as a review
theme;
● Addresses emerging issues, trends, focus areas and new approaches to questions affecting the
situation of women, that require timely consideration;
● Plays a catalytic role for gender mainstreaming in the United Nations system and contributes
gender perspectives to the work of other intergovernmental processes and functional
commissions;
● Considers in closed meeting the report of its Working Group on Communications;
● Agrees on further actions for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of
women by adopting agreed conclusions and resolutions; and
Sets aside time for the observation of International Women’s Day on 8 March, when it falls
within its session.

Multi-Year Programme of Work

The Commission elaborated a multi-year programme of work for the first time in 1987,
containing priority themes for discussion and action at its annual sessions, per ECOSOC
resolution 1987/24. Subsequently, multi-year programmes of work were adopted
in 1996 in ECOSOC resolution 1996/6,
in 2001 in ECOSOC resolution 2001/4,
in 2006 in ECOSOC resolution 2006/9,
in 2009 in ECOSOC resolution 2009/15,
in 2013 in ECOSOC resolution 2013/18
and in 2016 in ECOSOC resolution 2016/3. Since 2006, the Commission has added an annual
review theme, to evaluate the implementation of agreed conclusions from a previous session.
Themes for 2010–2019 are:
● 2010: Review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the
outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly and its contribution to
shaping a gender perspective towards the full realization of the Millennium Development Goals.
● 2011: Priority theme: Access and participation of women and girls to education, training,
science and technology, including for the promotion of women’s equal access to full
employment and decent work. Review theme: The elimination of all forms of discrimination
and violence against the girl child, from the 51st session of the CSW.
● 2012: Priority theme: The empowerment of rural women and their role in poverty and hunger
eradication, development and current challenges. Review theme: Financing for gender equality
and the empowerment of women, from the 52nd session of the CSW.
● 2013: Priority theme: Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and
girls. Review theme: The equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including
caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS, from the 53rd session of the CSW.
● 2014: Priority theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium
Development Goals for women and girls. Review theme: Access and participation of women
and girls to education, training, science and technology, including for the promotion of
women’s equal access to full employment and decent work, from the 54th session of the CSW.
● 2015: Review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, including
current challenges that affect the implementation of the Platform for Action and the
achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women, as well as opportunities for
strengthening gender equality and the empowerment of women in the post-2015 development
agenda through the integration of a gender perspective.
● 2016: Priority theme: Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development.
Review theme: The elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls,
from the 57th session of the CSW.
● 2017: Priority theme: Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work. Review
theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development
Goals for women and girls, from the 58th session of the CSW.
● 2018: Priority theme: Challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the
empowerment of rural women and girls. Review theme: Participation in and access of women
to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use
as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women, from the 47th session of
the CSW.
● 2019: Priority theme: Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable
infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Review theme:
Women’s empowerment and the link to sustainable development, from the 60th session of the
CSW.
 ABOUT THE AGENDA
“She walks for hours to fetch water and toils in drought-prone fields to feed her family…
She left her country with the promise of a good job only to find herself forced into sex work…
She picks up the pieces after a cyclone destroys her makeshift home and small business…
She is the provider, farmer, teacher, doctor, entrepreneur, minister, leader, mother —
contributing every day to her household, society and the economy.”

Women and girls make up more than half the world’s population — and they are on the
frontlines — often more deeply impacted than men and boys by poverty, climate change, food
insecurity, lack of healthcare, and global economic crises. Their contributions and leadership
are central to finding a solution to various burning issues.
With the new global 2030 roadmap and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) approved by UN
Member States on 25 September 2015, we take a look at how women are affected by each of
the 17 proposed SDGs, as well as how women and girls can — and will — be key to achieving
each of these goals.
In this editorial spotlight, we showcase data, stories, videos and publications to illustrate the
impact of each SDG on women and girls, and some of UN Women’s efforts towards each goal,
including our programmes, intergovernmental work and advocacy for policy change.

Introduction:
For the empowerment of women and girls to be realised through sustainable development,
there needs to be more than a commitment to these goals. There must be concerted action
across all countries and communities - dedicated resources should be provisioned to empower
women of all ages and girls as part of the SDGs. Approaching gender equality as a crosscutting
issue in the SDGs requires that gender is included at all stages of policy development, means of
implementation, monitoring and accountability. The need for a cross-cutting, inclusive and
gender-sensitive approach is clear: without this approach the global transformation envisaged
by the SDGs will not be achieved. Women and girls are crucial contributors, implementers and
beneficiaries of sustainable development. Their empowerment is fundamental to the
achievement of the 2030 Development Agenda.
The stand-alone SDG on gender equality (Goal 5) should be celebrated, as it outlines targets for
every country to make gender equality a reality. However, Goal 5 does not stand in isolation
and will not achieve gender equality alone. A gender-sensitive approach must be implemented
across the entire agenda for the 2030 development agenda to be successful.
Women and Girls as Agents of Change:
Women and girls comprise the majority of people living in poverty, and experience
multidimensional inequalities. Previously, efforts were only made to include women and girls in
‘women’s issues’ in development which failed to recognised the multidimensional nature of
gender in development. Additionally, persistent and chronic underinvestment in gender
equality and women’s empowerment has exacerbated development limitations. These mistakes
must not be repeated. Therefore, sustainable development initiatives must reinforce the
consideration that women and girls are at a higher risk of being left behind. The voices and
perspectives of women and girls must be included in policy development, implementation and
monitoring on all issues and not only Goal 5. This would promote the inclusion of women and
girls as leaders and decision makers, as well as relevant stakeholders and partners in
sustainable development. How resources are mobilised and how programmes are implemented
has clear implications for women’s empowerment and the achievement of gender equality.
Gender equality is not only an aspect of implementation but a critical means of implementation,
and an essential policy measure for countries to achieve their full development potential. To
mainstream the involvement of women and girls in sustainable development demands a
change in attitudes and behaviour towards women and girls across all levels. For women and
girls to be agents of change their input must be considered important; they should not only be
thought of as ‘beneficiaries’ or ‘vulnerable’, they must be considered as equal partners and
valuable contributors to sustainable development. With this attitude change it would be
unnecessary to repeatedly call for women’s and girls’ inclusion because they would be included
automatically. Women and girls can increase community capacity at the grassroots level, by
leading effective community-based sustainable development actions that contribute to the
achievement of the SDGs. These actions reveal grassroots expertise that women and girls have
on what actions are needed to better their lives.

Accountability and Monitoring:

Global initiatives designed to benefit the daily lives of people everywhere risk not being
implemented appropriately, if at all, unless they are monitored and accountable. To know
whether women and girls benefit from sustainable development efforts, it is critical to have
accurate and reliable information through qualitative and quantitative indicators, citizen
generated data, and data from governments, development agencies and other stakeholders
involved in SDG implementation, including the private sector. Global, regional and national
accountability mechanisms need to actively facilitate the submission of information provided by
women and girls on their experiences of the SDGs and their implementation. Quantitative
indicators alone do not accurately reflect the experiences of women and girls. This was clearly
seen with Millennium Development Goal 2 ‘Achieve Universal Primary Education’. Although
girls were being enrolled in school to achieve this goal they were often unable to attend in
practice for a variety of reasons including unsafe routes to school, lack of sanitation and
household responsibilities, or received low-quality education as class numbers increased
without appropriate additional resourcing. Therefore, even if government-agreed indicators
suggest that a target has been achieved, it should only be considered achieved with the
confirmation of women’s and girls’ experiences. The information that women and girls can
provide will highlight the factors that are most likely to lead to transformative change and the
realisation of gender equality and is critical to the success and relevance of any monitoring
process. Additionally, for knowledge about the status of women and girls to be accurate, it is
important that gender-differentiated statistics and indicators are collected nationally, regionally
and globally in order to measure gender gaps and adjust development programmes to rectify
inequalities, At a minimum, data should be disaggregated on the basis of age, sex, geography,
income, disability, race and ethnicity and other factors relevant to monitoring inequalities
(including multiple inequalities experienced by women and girls). Although some indicators are
measured by household (not by individual) it is still important that the data collected for those
indicators is disaggregated – it is important to know how the household is comprised. Without
this information it will be difficult to properly and fully identify the gaps and challenges facing
women and girls’ empowerment as part of sustainable development. Without mandated and
obligatory follow-up and review processes there is a risk that the voices of women and girls will
go unheard. That SDG follow-up and review processes “will be voluntary and country-led”
provides countries with the option not to follow-up or review the implementation of the SDGs
at all. Actions undertaken by the private sector contributing to the SDGs must also be
accountable. As the private sector has its own interests that do not prioritise the needs of
vulnerable and marginalised people, the unregulated and unaccountable outsourcing of
sustainable development would not contribute to the achievement of the SDGs in reality. The
“voluntary and country-led” get-out clause creates a significant barrier to ensuring that
programmes and projects designed to further the SDGs are accountable and secure the
empowerment of women and girls as a globally agreed sustainable development objective.
Therefore, not only are thorough and transparent gender-differentiated statistics and indicators
a vital accountability methodology, they are also fundamental as a means to develop
appropriate implementation strategies, and for the fulfilment of gender equality commitments.

Human Rights, the SDGs and Women’s Empowerment:

That the SDGs are ‘aspirational global targets’ and can be adjusted for ‘national circumstances’,
is of concern. Although it is important for sustainable development policies to be
contextualised, there is the potential for national agendas to dilute the strength and purpose of
the SDGs to the disadvantage of all. It is a risk to allow countries to define development
according to their own priorities in their national plans, as numerous countries systematically
disadvantage and legally disempower key development stakeholders, including women and
girls. Human rights frameworks and mechanisms are crucial to ensuring that ‘national
circumstances’ are not used as a justification for diluting the implementation of the SDGs.
Human rights mechanisms like CEDAW and UPR can provide a valuable contribution to
monitoring, accountability, and promoting a human rights-based implementation approach of
the SDGs that would legally protect and ensure the empowerment of women and girls. Human
rights standards facilitate the empowerment of all people, including women and girls. That the
political declaration accompanying the SDGs acknowledges the role that human rights have in
sustainable development is significant in achieving human rights for all. Human rights must be
seen as part of development and as a mechanism for achieving the SDGs.
 Empowering Women through NGOs and Civil Society: Civil society organisations, including
women’s and grassroots organisations are critical to facilitating the inclusion and
empowerment of women and girls in sustainable development. These organisations increase
capacity through their networks and roll out sustainable development programmes effectively.
As accountable organisations that represent the views of traditionally disempowered groups,
including women and girls, NGOs can provide support and legitimacy to sustainable
development programmes that other development agents cannot. Empowering civil society is
also critical to the empowerment of women and girls. Since the SDG negotiation process
started, hundreds of laws and regulations across the world have been agreed that limit civil
society space. This encroachment upon civil society, and the limitations being placed on NGOs,
will only further disempower women and girls and will work against efforts to implement the
SDGs. Without the support of NGOs and CSOs women and girls will not be able to access
essential services that empower them, including legal representation, education and healthcare.
If women and girls are to be empowered through the effective implementation of sustainable
development principles then CSOs including women’s organisations, must be included as well.
Through CSOs and NGOs, women and girls will be listened to as partners and not merely
coopted into a development agenda that does not reflect their needs.

Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Extreme poverty rates have been cut by more than half since 1990. While this is a remarkable
achievement, one in five people in developing regions still live on less than $1.90 a day, and
there are millions more who make little more than this daily amount, plus many people risk
slipping back into poverty.

Poverty is more than the lack of income and resources to ensure a sustainable livelihood. Its
manifestations include hunger and malnutrition, limited access to education and other basic
services, social discrimination and exclusion as well as the lack of participation in decision-
making. Economic growth must be inclusive to provide sustainable jobs and promote equality.

PROGRESS OF GOAL 1 IN 2017

Despite the fact that the global poverty rate has been halved since 2000, intensified efforts are
required to boost the incomes, alleviate the suffering and build the resilience of those
individuals still living in extreme poverty, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa. Social protection
systems need to be expanded and risks need to be mitigated for disaster-prone countries,
which also tend to be the most impoverished.
● In 2013, an estimated 767 million people lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 a
day — down from 1.7 billion people in 1999. That figure reflects a decrease in the global
poverty rate from 28 per cent in 1999 to 11 per cent in 2013. The most significant progress
was seen in Eastern and SouthEastern Asia, where the rate declined from 35 per cent in 1999
to 3 per cent in 2013. In contrast, 42 per cent of people in sub-Saharan Africa continued to
subsist in conditions of extreme poverty in 2013.
● In 2016, just under 10 per cent of the world’s workers were living with their families on less
than $1.90 per person per day, down from 28 per cent in 2000. In the least developed
countries, nearly 38 per cent of workers in 2016 were living below the poverty line.
● Social protection systems are fundamental to preventing and reducing poverty and inequality
at every stage of people’s lives, through benefits for children, mothers with newborns,
persons with disabilities, older persons and thoses persons who are poor and without jobs.
Preliminary data show that in 2016, only 45 per cent of the world’s population was effectively
protected by a social protection system and that coverage varied widely across countries and
regions.
● In 2016, 68 per cent of people above retirement age received a pension. However, that global
average masks large regional differences. In Oceania, excluding Australia and New Zealand,
and in sub-Saharan Africa, only 10 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively, of people above
retirement age received a pension in 2016.
● Other vulnerable groups lack social protections as well. In 2016, only 28 per cent of people
with severe disabilities collected disability benefits, only 22 per cent of unemployed
individuals worldwide received unemployment benefits and only 41 per cent of women giving
birth received maternity benefits.
● Building the resilience of the poor and strengthening disaster risk reduction is a core
development strategy for ending extreme poverty in the most afflicted countries. Economic
losses from disasters are now reaching an average of $250 billion to $300 billion a year.
Disaster risk globally is highly concentrated in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In
relation to the size of their economies, small island developing States have borne a
disproportionate impact.
Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development
Goals", E/2017/66

TARGETS INDICATORS
1.1 1.1.1
By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all Proportion of population below the
people everywhere, currently measured as international poverty line, by sex, age,
people living on less than $1.25 a day employment status and geographical location
(urban/rural)

1.2 1.2.1
By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion Proportion of population living below the
of men, women and children of all ages living national poverty line, by sex and age
in poverty in all its dimensions according to 1.2.2
national definitions Proportion of men, women and children of all
ages living in poverty in all its dimensions
according to national definitions
1.3 1.3.1
Implement nationally appropriate social Proportion of population covered by social
protection systems and measures for all, protection floors/systems, by sex,
including floors, and by 2030 achieve distinguishing children, unemployed persons,
substantial coverage of the poor and the older persons, persons with disabilities,
vulnerable pregnant women, newborns, work-injury
victims and the poor and the vulnerable

1.4 1.4.1
By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in Proportion of population living in households
particular the poor and the vulnerable, have with access to basic services
equal rights to economic resources, as well as 1.4.2
access to basic services, ownership and Proportion of total adult population with
control over land and other forms of property, secure tenure rights to land, with legally
inheritance, natural resources, appropriate recognized documentation and who perceive
new technology and financial services, their rights to land as secure, by sex and by
including microfinance type of tenure

1.5 1.5.1
By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and Number of deaths, missing persons and
those in vulnerable situations and reduce their persons affected by disaster per 100,000
exposure and vulnerability to climate-related people
extreme events and other economic, social 1.5.2
and environmental shocks and disasters Direct disaster economic loss in relation to
global gross domestic product (GDP)a
1.5.3
Number of countries with national and local
disaster risk reduction strategies

1.A 1.A.1
Ensure significant mobilization of resources Proportion of resources allocated by the
from a variety of sources, including through government directly to poverty reduction
enhanced development cooperation, in order programmes
to provide adequate and predictable means 1.A.2
for developing countries, in particular least Proportion of total government spending on
developed countries, to implement essential services (education, health and social
programmes and policies to end poverty in all protection)
its dimensions

1.B 1.B.1
Create sound policy frameworks at the Proportion of government recurrent and
national, regional and international levels, capital spending to sectors that
based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive disproportionately benefit women, the poor
development strategies, to support and vulnerable groups
accelerated investment in poverty eradication
actions

SDG 5 – Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and

Girls
Gender equality is a right as fundamental as any other in the national and international bills of
rights, because in the long run, discrimination against a gender consequently breeds violation
of the discriminated persons’ other basic rights such as education and expression.

It is a necessary piece in the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous world, and its
observation can help fuel economic growth and benefit societies and the human race at large.

The Challenge
Since gender inequality constitutes one of the history’s most persistent and widespread forms
of injustice, eliminating it will call for one of history’s biggest movements for change. Women
and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world. Gaps in
gender equality exist in every sector. In South Asia, only 74 girls were enrolled in primary school
for every 100 boys in 1990. However, by 2012, the enrolment ratios were the same. In 155
countries, at least one law exists which impedes women’s economic opportunities. Women in
most countries on average earn only 60% to 75% of wages paid to men. Only 22.8% of all
national parliamentarians are women. One in three women experience some form of physical
or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

Why is this important?

Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a
peaceful and sustainable world. The exclusion of women places half of the world’s population
outside the realm of opportunity to partner in building prosperous societies and economies.
Equal access to education, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision
making processes are not only rights women should have, they benefit humanity at large. By
investing in the empowerment of women, we not only make progress on Goal 5 of the
Sustainable Development Goals, we also make gains on the alleviation of poverty and fuel
sustainable economic growth.
At the September 2015 global summit held in New York, Gender Equality and Girl and Women
Empowerment was the fifth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 5) discussed and the following
targets were set with regard to achievement of the goal by 2030:

1. End all forms of gender inequality, particularly discrimination against women and girls, all
over the world. While there has been a substantial increase in the proportion of women who
are fully enjoying their rights in most countries in developing regions, the UN still believes total
eradication of discrimination against girls and women is an achievable goal. In developed
nations too, there have been a few cases of gender inequality, particularly in the form of
domestic violence, but this has been left to respective governments to deal with.

2. Ward off all forms of violence against girls and women both in the private and public spheres,
including sexual and trafficking and other forms of exploitation.1
3. Eliminate all harmful practices against women such as female genital mutilation (FGM), and
early, child and forced marriages. In many countries in Africa, these practices are cultural and
traditional, and not just arbitrary, which makes them relatively difficult to eliminate. The UN
however had earlier announced a substantial decrease in FGM cases, but still cases of early,
child and forced marriage are unchanged, or at least are decreasing at a marginal rate. The way
out of this, the UN believes, is by enlightening men and women in the affected regions on the
negatives of these practices and the positives of not engaging in them.
4. Value and pay unrecognised domestic work and care through building of infrastructure,
provision of public services such as health, transport and communication, formulation and
implementation of social protection policies, and encouraging shared responsibility at
household and family levels as both nationally and internationally appropriate. Currently, even
in developed countries, women are charged with most of the household chores and
responsibilities, denying them enough personal time for leisure and paid work in the process
5. Ensure women fully participate and are equally represented in all levels of national
leadership and decision-making in economic, political and social aspects of life. A major reason
why women are still lagging behind socially and economically in most developing countries is
because they do not have enough representatives of their own in governmental and political
positions to air their views and grievances on their behalf. Largely due to educational
qualification barriers, women representative positions are either given to under-qualified
women or even men who have little or no knowledge of what exactly the challenges faced by
women are.
6. Ensure easy access of women and girls to reproductive and sexual rights in accordance with
the Beijing Platform for Action and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development.
7. Formulate and execute social reforms to grant women equal ability to access economic
resources, financial services, and ownership and control of properties such as lands and homes,
in accordance with respective national laws. A very big problem in most developing countries,
especially African, as far as ownership and control of property is concerned, lies with
inheritance.
Most ethnic traditions in these countries do not give the girl child equal rights to inheritance of
parental property, and this has, in some countries, been assimilated into national law. The UN’s
first plan is to influence countries with these kinds of laws to adjust them to accommodate
equality, before ensuring they are implemented, and finally educating the whole society on
gender equality and why they should embrace it.
8. Promote the use of modern technology, especially in the field of information and
communication, to enhance women empowerment. Through the use of computers and
internet-accessing phones women can interact and learn from their counterparts in developed
nations through social media platforms and open discussion forums.
9. Create and promote sound policies and executable legislation to enhance gender equality
and girl and women empowerment at all levels.

SDG 5 Targets are Crucially Important

One of the main targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG 3) was to ensure gender
equality is achieved all across world, and particularly in most developing countries, where the
culture is cemented.
While the program has achieved some remarkable results especially since the turn of the
century, a good number of women around the world are still subject to domestic violence and
discrimination, and statistics project a possible upsurge in the coming years if the right
measures are not immediately put in place.
Statistics show that over the past two decades, around two thirds of the world’s developing
countries have achieved gender equality in primary education. In most parts of Southern Asia,
for instance, there were 74 girls enrolled in primary school per every 100 boys back in 1990, but
as of 2012, enrolment ratios for boys and girls in this region had balanced. In a few other
developing nations, though, particularly in Africa, gender parity is still a challenge as female
children still face barriers to obtaining both primary and secondary education.
In leadership, men still hold most of the hottest government seats in developing countries,
partly because a bigger proportion of the current generation of adult females lack the level of
education required to obtain these jobs. Nonetheless, there has been an improvement on this
lately, as women now hold more than a third of the seats in at least one chamber in the
national parliaments of developing countries. The proportion of women holding paid jobs
outside the Agricultural sector in North Africa has also increased to 41% in 2015 from 35% in
1990. Their proportion in the agricultural sector, however, is still underwhelming as only one
out of five workers in the industry is a woman.
PROGRESS OF GOAL 5 IN 2017

Gender inequality persists worldwide, depriving women and girls of their basic rights and
opportunities. Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will require
more vigorous efforts, including legal frameworks, to counter deeply rooted gender-based
discrimination that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms.
● On the basis of data from 2005 to 2016 for 87 countries, 19 per cent of women between 15
and 49 years of age said they had experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate
partner in the 12 months prior to the survey. In the most extreme cases, such violence can
lead to death. In 2012, almost half of all women who were victims of intentional homicide
worldwide were killed by an intimate partner or family member, compared to 6 per cent of
male victims.
● Child marriage is declining, but not fast enough. Around 2000, nearly 1 in 3 women between
20 and 24 years of age reported that they were married before 18 years of age. Around 2015,
the ratio was just over 1 in 4. The decline is driven by an even steeper reduction in the
marriage rate among girls under 15 years of age during that period.
● The harmful practice of female genital mutilation/cutting has declined by 24 per cent since
around 2000. Nevertheless, prevalence remains high in some of the 30 countries with
representative data. In those countries, survey data from around 2015 indicate that more
than 1 in 3 girls between 15 and 19 years of age have undergone the procedure compared to
nearly 1 in 2 girls around 2000.
● The average amount of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work is more than threefold
higher for women than men, according to survey data from 83 countries and areas. Available
data indicate that time spent on domestic chores accounts for a large proportion of the
gender gap in unpaid work.
● Globally, women’s participation in single or lower houses of national parliaments reached 23.4
per cent in 2017, just 10 percentage points higher than in 2000. Such slow progress suggests
that stronger political commitment and more ambitious measures and quotas are needed to
boost women’s political participation and empowerment.
● Women are still underrepresented in managerial positions. In the majority of the 67 countries
with data from 2009 to 2015, fewer than a third of senior- and middle-management positions
were held by women.
● Just over half (52 per cent) of women between 15 and 49 years of age who are married or in
union make their own decisions about consensual sexual relations and use of contraceptives
and health services. That statistic is based on available data from around 2012 for 45
countries, 43 of which are in developing regions.
Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development
Goals", E/2017/66
TARGETS INDICATOR
5.1 5.1.1
End all forms of discrimination against all Whether or not legal frameworks are in place
women and girls everywhere to promote, enforce and monitor equality and
non?discrimination on the basis of sex

5.2 5.2.1
Eliminate all forms of violence against all Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls
women and girls in the public and private aged 15 years and older subjected to physical,
spheres, including trafficking and sexual and sexual or psychological violence by a current
other types of exploitation or former intimate partner in the previous 12
months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years
and older subjected to sexual violence by
persons other than an intimate partner in the
previous 12 months, by age and place of
occurrence

5.3 5.3.1
Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who
early and forced marriage and female genital were married or in a union before age 15 and
mutilation before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49
years who have undergone female genital
mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4 5.4.1
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic
work through the provision of public services, and care work, by sex, age and location
infrastructure and social protection policies
and the promotion of shared responsibility
within the household and the family as
nationally appropriate

5.5 5.5.1
Ensure women’s full and effective Proportion of seats held by women in national
participation and equal opportunities for parliaments and local governments
leadership at all levels of decision-making in 5.5.2
political, economic and public life Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6 5.6.1
Ensure universal access to sexual and Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who
reproductive health and reproductive rights as make their own informed decisions regarding
agreed in accordance with the Programme of sexual relations, contraceptive use and
Action of the International Conference on reproductive health care
Population and Development and the Beijing 5.6.2
Platform for Action and the outcome Number of countries with laws and regulations
documents of their review conferences that guarantee women aged 15-49 years
access to sexual and reproductive health care,
information and education

5.A 5.A.1
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights (a) Proportion of total agricultural population
to economic resources, as well as access to with ownership or secure rights over
ownership and control over land and other agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of
forms of property, financial services, women among owners or rights-bearers of
inheritance and natural resources, in agricultural land, by type of tenure
accordance with national laws 5.A.2
Proportion of countries where the legal
framework (including customary law)
guarantees women’s equal rights to land
ownership and/or control

5.B 5.B.1
Enhance the use of enabling technology, in Proportion of individuals who own a mobile
particular information and communications telephone, by sex
technology, to promote the empowerment of
women

5.C 5.C.1
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and Proportion of countries with systems to track
enforceable legislation for the promotion of and make public allocations for gender
gender equality and the empowerment of all equality and women’s empowerment
women and girls at all levels
SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable
economic growth, full and productive employment and
decent work for all

Over the past 25 years the number of workers living in extreme poverty has declined
dramatically, despite the long-lasting impact of the economic crisis of 2008/2009. In developing
countries, the middle class now makes up more than 34 percent of total employment – a
number that has almost tripled between 1991 and 2015.

However, as the global economy continues to recover we are seeing slower growth, widening
inequalities and employment that is not expanding fast enough to keep up with the growing
labour force. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people
are unemployed in 2015.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to encourage sustained economic growth by
achieving higher levels of productivity and through technological innovation. Promoting policies
that encourage entrepreneurship and job creation are key to this, as are effective measures to
eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the goal is
to achieve full and productive employment, and decent work, for all women and men by 2030.

Decent work is one of 17 Global Goals that make up the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development. An integrated approach is crucial for progress across the multiple goals.

Women’s empowerment is a pre-condition for this.

Therefore, achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is a stand-alone goal—Goal
5—of the SDGs. It is also part of all the other goals, with many targets specifically recognizing
women’s equality and empowerment as both the objective, and as part of the solution.
Deep legal and legislative changes are needed to ensure women’s rights and leadership around
the world. Although 47 per cent of world business leaders say they are in favor of gender
quotas on corporate boards, women remain underrepresented in leadership and management
level positions in the public and private sectors. Less than one-third of senior- and middle-
management positions are held by women.
While 39 per cent of countries worldwide have used some form of quota system to increase
women’s representation in politics, parity is far from reality—as of 2017, only 23.4 per cent of
all national parliamentarians are women.
In the labour market, women worldwide make 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. At the
same time, they carry out three times as much unpaid household and care work as men—from
cooking and cleaning, to fetching water and firewood, or taking care of children and the elderly.
No country in the world is untouched by the pandemic of intimate partner violence—1 in 5
women and girls aged 15 to 49 across 87 countries reported experiencing physical and/or
 sexual violence by an intimate partner; 49 countries have no laws specifically protecting women
from domestic violence.
Harmful practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, continue to rob women
and girls of equal opportunities. The numbers are staggering— at least 200 million women and
girls have undergone FGM; and over 750 million women and girls alive today were married
before their 18th birthday.
Achieving gender equality and sustainable development by 2030 will require stepping up efforts
at all fronts. UN Women works to empower women and girls through all of its programmes and
advocacy.
PROGRESS OF GOAL 8 IN 2017

Increasing labour productivity, reducing the unemployment rate, especially for young people,
and improving access to financial services and benefits are essential components of sustained
and inclusive economic growth.
● The average annual growth rate of real GDP per capita worldwide was 1.6 per cent from 2010
to 2015, compared to 0.9 per cent in 2005-2009. In the least developed countries, the per
capita growth rate accelerated from 3.5 per cent in 2000-2004 to 4.6 per cent in 2005-2009,
before slowing to 2.5 per cent in 2010-2015. Overall average annual GDP growth in the least
developed countries followed a similar trend, decelerating from 7.1 per cent in 2005 -2009 to
4.9 per cent in 2010-2015, below the Sustainable Development Goals target of 7 per cent.
● Labour productivity (annual growth rate of real GDP per worker) globally has slowed from an
average annual rate of 2.9 per cent from 2000 to 2008 to 1.9 per cent from 2009 to 2016. The
slowdown represents a negative development for the global economy, with adverse effects
on living standards and real wages.
● The global unemployment rate stood at 5.7 per cent in 2016, with women more likely to be
unemployed than men across all age groups. Youth were almost three times as likely as adults
to be unemployed, with unemployment rates of 12.8 per cent and 4.4 per cent, respectively,
in 2016. Moreover, in more than 76 per cent of countries with data, more than 1 in 10 youth
are neither in the educational system nor working. Young women are more likely than young
men to fall into that category in almost 70 per cent of countries with data.
● While the number of children from 5 to 17 years of age who are working has declined from
246 million in 2000 to 168 million in 2012, child labour remains a serious concern. More than
half of child labourers (85 million children) participate in hazardous work and 59 per cent of
them work in the agricultural sector. Girls have made greater progress than boys, with the
number of girls engaged in child labour declining by 40 per cent during the period 2000-2012,
compared to a decline of 25 per cent for boys.
● Access to financial services enables individuals and firms to manage changes in income, deal
with fluctuating cash flows, accumulate assets and make productive investments. Access to
financial services through automated teller machines increased by 55 per cent worldwide
from 2010 to 2015. Commercial bank branches grew by 5 per cent during the same period,
with the lower growth explained by increased digital access to financial services. Globally,
there were 60 automated teller machines and 17 commercial bank branches per 100,000
adults in 2015. From 2011 to 2014, 700 million adults became new account holders and the
 share of adults with an account at a financial institution increased from 51 per cent to 61 per
cent.
● After contracting slightly in 2014, aid for trade rose 5.4 per cent in real terms to reach $53.9
billion in 2015 owing to a recovery in commitments for trade-related infrastructure and
further growth in support of banking and agriculture. Aid for trade commitments to the least
developed countries increased in 2015 by $4.3 billion, reaching $17.2 billion. The Enhanced
Integrated Framework, an aid-for-trade programme dedicated to those countries, started its
second phase in 2016 and will run to 2022. Donor commitments to the Framework stood at
$55.3 million in 2016, with $17.3 million already disbursed to the Trust Fund.
Source: Report of the Secretary-General, "Progress towards the Sustainable Development
Goals", E/2017/66
Targets

● Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in
particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least
developed countries
● Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological
upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-
intensive sectors
● Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job
creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and
growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial
services
● Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and
production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation,
in accordance with the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and
production, with developed countries taking the lead
● By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men,
including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal
value
● By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or
training
● Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and
human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child
labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its
forms
● Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers,
including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious
employment
● By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and
promotes local culture and products
● Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to
banking, insurance and financial services for all
● Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed
countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
● By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement
the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

TARGETS INDICATORS
8.1 8.1.1
Sustain per capita economic growth in Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita
accordance with national circumstances and,
in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic
product growth per annum in the least
developed countries

8.2 8.2.1
Achieve higher levels of economic productivity Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed
through diversification, technological person
upgrading and innovation, including through a
focus on high-value added and labour-
intensive sectors

8.3 8.3.1
Promote development-oriented policies that Proportion of informal employment in
support productive activities, decent job non?agriculture employment, by sex
creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and
innovation, and encourage the formalization
and growth of micro-, small- and medium-
sized enterprises, including through access to
financial services

8.4 8.4.1
Improve progressively, through 2030, global Material footprint, material footprint per
resource efficiency in consumption and capita, and material footprint per GDP
production and endeavour to decouple 8.4.2
economic growth from environmental Domestic material consumption, domestic
degradation, in accordance with the 10-year material consumption per capita, and
framework of programmes on sustainable domestic material consumption per GDP
consumption and production, with developed
countries taking the lead
8.5 8.5.1
By 2030, achieve full and productive Average hourly earnings of female and male
employment and decent work for all women employees, by occupation, age and persons
and men, including for young people and with disabilities
persons with disabilities, and equal pay for 8.5.2
work of equal value Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons
with disabilities

8.6 8.6.1
By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in
of youth not in employment, education or education, employment or training
training

8.7 8.7.1
Take immediate and effective measures to Proportion and number of children aged
eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery 5?17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and
and human trafficking and secure the age
prohibition and elimination of the worst forms
of child labour, including recruitment and use
of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour
in all its forms

8.8 8.8.1
Protect labour rights and promote safe and Frequency rates of fatal and non-fatal
secure working environments for all workers, occupational injuries, by sex and migrant
including migrant workers, in particular status
women migrants, and those in precarious 8.8.2
employment Increase in national compliance of labour
rights (freedom of association and collective
bargaining) based on International Labour
Organization (ILO) textual sources and
national legislation, by sex and migrant status

8.9 8.9.1
By 2030, devise and implement policies to Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total
promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs GDP and in growth rate
and promotes local culture and products 8.9.2
 Number of jobs in tourism industries as a
proportion of total jobs and growth rate of
jobs, by sex

8.10 8.10.1
Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial Number of commercial bank branches and
institutions to encourage and expand access automated teller machines (ATMs) per
to banking, insurance and financial services for 100,000 adults
all 8.10.2
Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with
an account at a bank or other financial
institution or with a mobile-money-service
provider

8.A 8.A.1
Increase Aid for Trade support for developing Aid for Trade commitments and
countries, in particular least developed disbursements
countries, including through the Enhanced
Integrated Framework for Trade-Related
Technical Assistance to Least Developed
Countries

LINKS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

● http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/poverty/
● http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/1_Why-it-
Matters_Poverty_2p.pdf
● https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2016/goal-01/
● http://www.sdgfund.org/goal-1-no-poverty
● http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-1-no-poverty
● http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-1-no-
poverty.html
● http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/sdg-2030/goal-8/lang--en/index.htm
● http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-8-decent-work-
economic-growth
● http://www.unwomen.org/-
/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/partnerships/businesses%20and%20foundations/
women-s-empowerment-principles_en%20pdf.pdf?la=en&vs=1445
● http://www.cpahq.org/cpahq/cpadocs/2322UN%20Women%20Analysis%20on%20Women%20
and%20SDGs.pdf
● http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/gender-equality/
● http://www.sdgfund.org/goal-8-decent-work-and-economic-growth
● http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-8-decent-
work-and-economic-growth/targets/