{"id":1449,"date":"2015-03-08T20:54:14","date_gmt":"2015-03-08T20:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/?p=1449"},"modified":"2018-04-22T12:11:47","modified_gmt":"2018-04-22T16:11:47","slug":"gender-equality-vital-for-world-to-fulfill-potential-ban-tells-thousands-at-womens-march-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/sustainabledevelopment\/blog\/2015\/03\/gender-equality-vital-for-world-to-fulfill-potential-ban-tells-thousands-at-womens-march-in-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender equality vital for world to fulfill potential, Ban tells thousands at women’s march in New York"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thousands of people gathered today in New York to march from United Nations headquarters to Times Square in commemoration of International Women’s Day and to demand greater efforts by Governments to achieve gender equality worldwide.<\/p>\n

Among the many distinguished speakers who addressed marchers, the Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, sounded a call for global action for women.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you hold back half of our population, we cannot realise 100 per cent of our potential,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to fully respect and use the potential of all of our women.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr. Ban praised the commitment of those present to gender equality, saying women had to be \u201cfront and centre\u201d in the world, especially on issues like peace and development.<\/p>\n

\u201cProgress has been too slow; uneven,\u201d he said as he recalled that it was 20 years since the Beijing Declaration and sounding a rallying cry for the \u201cstep it up\u201d campaign to reach Planet 50:50 by 2030.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s our target. We must make it happen,\u201d he said. \u201cLet’s work to make it happen!\u201d<\/p>\n

In her address to the gathered crowd, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Director-General of UN Women, stressed how rational equality is and the many benefits that stem from boosting the status of women.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that when there is gender equality, girls and boys will go to school and they will prosper,\u201d she said. \u201cWe know that when there is gender equality there will be equal pay and poverty will be reduced. We know that when there is gender equality violence will come down and women will be able to live without being violated. We also know that where there is gender equality, our economies will grow, our development will be for everybody, because everybody will be participating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>

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