<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-2">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)">
<!--[if !mso]><style>v\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
o\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
w\:* {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
.shape {behavior:url(#default#VML);}
</style><![endif]--><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:inherit;}
@font-face
{font-family:Roboto;}
@font-face
{font-family:Lato;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
p.msonormal0, li.msonormal0, div.msonormal0
{mso-style-name:msonormal;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;}
span.EmailStyle18
{mso-style-type:personal;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;
font-weight:normal;
font-style:normal;
text-decoration:none none;}
span.EmailStyle19
{mso-style-type:personal-reply;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:#1F497D;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt">A WORLD FIRST: WOMEN AT THE HELM OF ALL 5 OF THE UN REGIONAL ECONOMIC COMMISSIONS<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:inherit"><img width="600" height="399" id="Picture_x0020_5" src="cid:image002.jpg@01D4FDE5.7B5B8300" alt="Secretary-General Meets Heads of UN Regional Commissions"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:inherit">Secretary-General Meets Heads of UN Regional Commissions<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:7.5pt;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="font-family:inherit">Secretary-General António Guterres (centre left) meets with (left to right): Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for
Western Asia (ESCWA); Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Olga Algayerova,
Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE); and Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">27 April, 2019 - Although United Nations Regional Commissions have been in existence for more than 70 years, for the first time ever, each
one is currently headed by a woman designated by Secretary-General António Guterres. This accomplishment underscores that, since the day he took office, the UN chief has been determined to achieve gender parity by 2030 as part of the<a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld"><span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">
Agenda for Sustainable Development</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">UN News</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666"> spoke to some of these women leaders, about
the steps being taken to make <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300">
<span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">Sustainable Development Goal</span></a> 5 (SDG 5), on
<a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg5"><span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">women’s empowerment</span></a>, a reality.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:16.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";color:#333333">Latin America &the Caribbean: Alicia Bárcena<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="560" height="315" id="Picture_x0020_17" src="cid:image005.jpg@01D4FDE5.7B5B8300" alt="https://global.unitednations.entermediadb.net/assets/mediadb/services/module/asset/downloads/preset/assets/2019/04/26-Apr-2019_ECLAC_AliciaB%C3%A1rcena.jpg/image560x340cropped.jpg"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), by UN ECLAC<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary for the
<a href="https://www.cepal.org/en"><span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean</span></a>, known as ECLAC, detailed some of the battles her region faces, such as slow economic growth, high debt, a
deterioration in quality employment and increased poverty.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">She sees these “long-term challenges” as threats to gender equality, such as “gender gaps in labor markets, the overload of women's unpaid
work, their limited access to credit and productive assets, and women lacking their own income”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">At the same time, incorporating technological change “raises new questions about its disruptive effects on societies and especially on
gender equality”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Ms. Bárcena pointed out that although their political participation across the region has risen steadily over the past few decades, women
only hold 30 per cent of seats in the region’s parliaments, which is far below the parity-based target.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“There is an urgent need to remove the key barriers hindering women’s participation in order to generate the conditions for the full exercise
of women's citizenship and autonomy in decision-making”, she stated. “To do so, it is important to achieve parity in the distribution of power, resources and time”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Proudly, she said that under her leadership, ECLAC has achieved gender balance among in senior management, adding “and I am now progressively
pushing forward for achieving a similar balance at other levels”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:16.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";color:#333333">Europe: Oµga Algayerová<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="560" height="315" id="Picture_x0020_18" src="cid:image007.jpg@01D4FDE5.7B5B8300" alt="https://global.unitednations.entermediadb.net/assets/mediadb/services/module/asset/downloads/preset/assets/2019/04/25-Apr-2019_ECE-chief_O%C4%BEga+Algayerov%C3%A1.jpg/image560x340cropped.jpg"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Oµga Algayerová, Executive Secretary for the Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)., by UN Photo/Mark Garten<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Oµga Algayerová, Executive Secretary for the
<a href="http://www.unece.org/"><span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">Economic Commission for Europe</span></a>, called UNECE, told
<i>UN News</i> that by appointing women as UN Regional Commission heads, the Secretary-General is making “a clear call” to ensure that gender parity is “a reality in our regional organizations”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“In the UNECE region, the political and economic landscape now looks far more balanced than it did some decades ago”, she asserted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Ms. Algayerová explained that as a women leader, she is especially sensitive to women’s situations and needs. And as such, she can be more
persistent in searching for gender-responsive solutions and broad-based decisions “in consultations with women’s groups” and others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“I am often approached by women of different ages from civil societies, academia and governments, and I listen to their concerns”, she
said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“Gender equality and the empowerment of women has always been very dear to my heart”, she continued. “In all my previous positions which
I have held both in my country, Slovakia, and abroad, I have been a strong advocate for gender equality”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">According to the ECE chief, meeting SDG5 means: ending all forms of violence and discrimination against women and girls; valuing unpaid
care and domestic work; and ensuring decent work for all.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“It is a gigantic task, requiring urgent action and pooling all resources to eliminate the root causes of gender inequalities”, she argued.
To address this, Ms. Algayerová flagged the need to measure inequalities and provide data to identify what drives gender gaps and why imbalances persist in all spheres of life at country, regional and community levels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“Only policies based on empirical evidences can be effective instruments to tackle the multifaceted forms of gender inequalities” she concluded.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:16.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";color:#333333">Armida Alisjahbana: Asia & the Pacific<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="560" height="315" id="Picture_x0020_19" src="cid:image009.jpg@01D4FDE5.7B5B8300" alt="https://global.unitednations.entermediadb.net/assets/mediadb/services/module/asset/downloads/preset/assets/2019/04/25-Apr-2019_ESCAP-chief_Armida-Alisjahbana.jpg/image560x340cropped.jpg"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Armida Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the
<a href="https://www.unescap.org/" target="_blank" title="Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific">
<span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific</span></a> (ESCAP)., by ESCAP/Diego Montemayor<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">For her part, Armida Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, or ESCAP, told
<i>UN News</i> that while “significant progress” has been made in her region, economic and social inequalities persist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“Growing disparities in income and wealth disproportionately affect women, especially those in vulnerable situations”, she said, pointing
out that “for every 10 men who are in employment, there are only six women working”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">What’s more, she lamented, “women are overrepresented in low-paying jobs, with little social protection provisions” and “have less access
than men to financial services and productive assets, including land, capital, and information technologies”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">On the political front, Ms. Alisjahbana said that women’s representation in Asia and the Pacific continues to be low in comparison with
other regions of the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“As of 2018, the proportion of seats held by women in the national parliaments is 18 per cent, while the global average is 24 per cent”,
she stated. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“Addressing such gaps is not only a matter of attaining fundamental rights for women, but also critical to the inclusive economic growth
and sustainable development of the region as a whole” Ms. Alisjahbana stressed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:16.5pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:8.25pt;margin-left:0in">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";color:#333333">Western Asia: Rola Dashti<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><img border="0" width="560" height="315" id="Picture_x0020_20" src="cid:image011.jpg@01D4FDE5.7B5B8300" alt="https://global.unitednations.entermediadb.net/assets/mediadb/services/module/asset/downloads/preset/assets/2019/04/26-Apr-2019_ESCWA_RolaDashti.jpg/image560x340cropped.jpg"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333">Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), by ESCWA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Roboto;color:#333333"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of
<a href="https://www.unescwa.org/"><span style="color:#00AEEF;text-decoration:none">Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia</span></a> (ESCWA), shared with
<i>UN News</i> her view that leadership is “not a privilege” but a “responsibility with accountability”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Woman or man, an “all-weather leader” must work “in a responsible, efficient and effective manner to achieve the desirable goals”, she
believes. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Ms. Dashti expressed pride in that she could be “a good example” of women’s ability to “carry out substantive tasks and achieve the mission
assigned”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Against the backdrop of an Arab region embroiled in conflicts, war, displacement and grave economic and environment crises, the ESCWA chief
said this situation aggravates the already “complicated task” of meeting SDG5.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">She painted a picture of the existing problems facing women, “such as domestic and sexual violence; unemployment; and discrimination in
public office” and recommended, “within the few years remaining until 2030”, as “the best course of action”, to “identify common priority areas” across Arab countries to help implement responses at the regional level that would “benefit all”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">She assured that ESCWA places women's issues “at the forefront of its work” and underlined that “despite gender stereotypes and cultural
barriers”, the aspirations of women and girls “are attainable” with “self-recognition, confidence and perseverance”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">“To every woman and girl, she concluded by saying: “Your horizon is your dream!”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:8.25pt"><span lang="EN" style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Lato;color:#666666">Although
<i>UN News</i> was unable to arrange an interview with Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), prior to publication, it is clear that she too is committed to the Secretary-General’s 2030 Agenda and working tirelessly in
support of gender equality on the continent.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<div style="border:none;border-bottom:solid #00AEEF 2.25pt;padding:0in 0in 5.0pt 0in">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span lang="EN" style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Open Sans Condensed";color:#4D4D4D;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:-.25pt"> </span></b><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1037171?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=46314306fc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_27_02_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-46314306fc-105792637">https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/04/1037171?utm_source=UN+News+-+Newsletter&utm_campaign=46314306fc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_04_27_02_00&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fdbf1af606-46314306fc-105792637</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:12.0pt;line-height:18.75pt"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>