THE UN is poised to create a powerful new department for women and to rectify a glaring omission in the world body.
Women’s rights advocates are seeking a fully-fledged agency with a budget of $1 billion (€714 million) on a par with other high-profile UN departments to address crucial issues such as violence against women, property rights and HIV/Aids.
“[The UN] has neglected the rights and needs of women everywhere,” said Stephen Lewis, co-director of Aids-Free World, and an advocate of gender equality. “It’s clear to everyone that the marginalisation of women over decades is unacceptable, and the best way to correct it is a UN agency like Unicef for children.”
In sub-Saharan Africa, of the 63 million people with HIV, 60 per cent are women, and the rate shoots up to 75-80 per cent in those aged 15-24, he said.
Although the UN has poured billions of pounds into agencies for refugees (UNHCR) and for children (Unicef), women’s issues are currently dealt with by several small departments that lack the resources and clout of a fully-fledged agency. The idea for such a body emerged from plans to reform the UN by former secretary-general Kofi Annan in 2006.
Mr Annan wanted the agency to be part of his legacy, but this was too ambitious as he only had one year left in office at the time. Still, the prospect of a UN women’s agency three years after the idea was broached is considered fast for the UN.
Rich countries such as the Nordic states favour creating an agency by the end of the year, but some members from the G77 group of developing countries want to nail down issues such as governance and funding before agreeing to vote on a resolution.
Mr Lewis is optimistic the general assembly will pass a resolution to create the agency in September. The aim to secure $1 billion in funding will depend on the Obama administration, which has yet to formally declare its position, and how much cash it will put in. Unicef's budget is three times this amount. – ( Guardianservice)