The 2024 theme of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women examines the pathways to greater economic inclusion for women and girls everywhere. The 2024 priority is accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with gender perspective
The 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women runs from 11 – 22 March 2024. We have several BPW Australia members attending CSW and also the BPW International Leadership Summit which runs in parallel to CSW each year in New York – refer BPW Australia LinkedIn.
It has never been more urgent to advance women’s economic empowerment. Investing in women benefits women and society as a whole. At the current rate of investments however, more than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030. The world needs an additional USD 360 billion per year for developing countries to address gender equality under the Sustainable Development Goals. And while increasing women’s share of assets and finance is vital for their economic empowerment, equally important is building institutions that promote public investment in social goods and sustainable development.
Five things guaranteed to accelerate women’s economic empowerment are:
1 Connecting women with financial resources can help them meet their basic needs and start or grow businesses.
2 Work that is productive and in conditions of freedom, equity, security, and dignity.
3 Respect for the undervalued and underpaid care work that women do that takes time away from opportunities for education, decent paid work, public life, rest and leisure.
4 Security and gender-responsive social protection systems that shield women from gender-based violence, conflict, food insecurity, and poverty.
5 Promotion of human rights and women's rights expressed in laws that underpin women’s economic empowerment.
