UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Thursday called for greater investment in women and girls which will help further economic growth and advance development.
"Investing in women is not only the right thing to do. It is the smart think to do," Ban told a commemorating event at the UN Headquarters for the International Women's Day, which falls on Saturday.
"I am deeply convinced that, in women, the world has at its disposal the most significant and yet largely untapped potential for development and peace," he said.
He stressed that gender equality is not only a goal in itself, but a prerequisite for reaching all the other international development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
Noting that governments are increasingly creating an enabling environment for investing in women, Ban said there is still "a long way to go" because "women are still severely hampered by discrimination, lack of resources and economic opportunities, by limited access to decision-making and by gender-based violence."
He called on everyone in the international community -- governments, multilateral organizations, bilateral institutions and the private sector -- to "dramatically" increase investments in women and girls.
In his message to mark the day, General Assembly President Srgjan Kerim said the importance of investing in women and girls cannot be overstated given that women make up more than half of the world's population.
"However, women will only be truly empowered, when globally we muster the necessary political will to fully implement existing commitments and make available the appropriate human, financial and educational resources that have been promised," Kerim stated.
"But more fundamentally than these efforts, it is increasingly clear that we need to change our attitudes towards the role and status of women in society." Kerim said.
Source:Xinhua
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