Gender equality a “driver” in fighting violence against women and girls

A concrete plan to fight violence against women and girls demands recognizing its various forms in regions across the globe. This from European Union (EU) Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, speaking about the “Spotlight Initiative,” launched this week on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The partnership between the EU and the UN aims to put eliminating violence against women and girls at the centre of global efforts to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in line with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Mr Mimica spoke to Joshua Mmali ahead of the launch.

UN chief implements new gender parity strategy

When he took office in January of this year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres pledged to reach gender parity across the global organization. Mr Guterres took that commitment a step forward this week by launching a strategy to reach parity among senior leaders by 2021, and ultimately across the UN system in 2028. Currently, there is a negative correlation between the representation of women and seniority in the UN as the proportion of women staff decreases as grade levels increase. While women comprise more than 60 per cent of staff at lower levels, they make up just over 32 per cent of senior leaders, such as heads of departments. Jordi Trujols has been speaking to the Secretary-General's new Senior Adviser on Policy, Ana María Menéndez.

More economically empowered women are essential to build stronger economies: ITC

Increasing women’s participation in global trade will lead to better development outcomes for families and communities. That’s the view of Arancha González, Executive Director at the International Trade Centre (ITC), which is working to get one million women-owned businesses to market by 2020. In 2016, ITC launched the “SheTrades” initiative, an online platform and mobile application, or "app," that connects buyers worldwide with women-owned enterprises. Ms González was in New York for an event aimed at advancing women’s role in the global economy. She spoke to Cristina Silveiro about the importance of holding this event on the margins of the General Assembly debate.

Presenter: Dianne Penn

Production Assistant: Ana Carmo

Duration: 10’00″