The Global President of the International Youth Network—United Nations Security Council 2250 Resolution (IYNUNSCR), Sally Lilian Addo, has called for staunch women's inclusion in national affairs to foster gender equality.

She was speaking at the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68), which was recently organized by the United Nations Women in the United States of America.

The conference attracted women from all over the globe to address issues affecting women in other parts of the world.

Explaining the summit, Sally Lilian Addo said the 68th annual CSW68, the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, was under the priority theme, “Accelerating the Achievement of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls by Addressing Poverty and Strengthening Institutions and Financing with a Gender Perspective.”

She observed that the world is at a crucial crossroads for gender equality, where globally 10.3 percent of women live in extreme poverty, and they are poorer than men.

"Progress towards ending poverty needs to be 26 times faster to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030," she said, which was one of the most concerning issues deliberated during the summit.

According to the findings of women, accelerated progress requires investment. Data from 48 developing economies shows that an additional $360 billion is needed per year to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment across key global goals, including ending poverty and hunger.

Solutions to end women’s poverty are widely recognized; hence, investing in policies and programs that address gender inequalities and boost women’s agency and leadership would make it faster to achieve.

"Such investments yield enormous dividends: Over 100 million women and girls could be lifted out of poverty if governments prioritized education and family planning, fair and equal wages, and expanded social benefits," she said.

Closing gender gaps in employment could boost Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by 20 percent across all regions.

According to her, CSW 68 was seasoned with governments, civil society organizations, experts, and activists from across the world who converged to agree on actions and investments that could end women’s poverty and spearhead gender equality.

Source: Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah