Gender Equality

The empowerment of women and girls needs to be accelerated to achieve the dramatic transformation necessary in our societies to realize the 2030 Agenda in every country. The commitment to women and girls who suffer from discrimination, harmful practices and violence and to girls and adolescents who demand equal access to quality education and health care remains paramount. In the face of strong evidence pointing to the transformative value that women bring from boardrooms to peace processes, the world cannot afford half measures. We need to ensure that men and boys are an integral part of this process of gender equality. The General Assembly, in recognizing the role of social norms in any effort to achieve equality, should play its role promoting the profound changes needed, making it clear that life is better for everyone when all people have equal access to economic, social and political life in their societies.