Montenegro and Slovenia
Division for the Support to the National Council for Sustainable Development
Date: 3 – 7 February 2014
Equality, social equity, gender equality and empowerment of Women
MNE–SI speaking points for 8th meeting of OWG SDGs
· Tackling inequalities is important for both reducing poverty as well as for
achieving sustainable development. Promoting social equity remains one
of crucial elements of social dimension of sustainable development,
strongly linked with other two dimensions.
· Despite widely recognised progress in promoting equality, inequalities
remain unacceptably high across all main dimensions of human life. In
order to reduce inequalities we should focus on their underlying causes
and structural reasons and also prioritise areas, which were not
sufficiently addressed in the framework of MDGs.
· To truly leave no one behind, we need to dedicate special attention to
the rights and the need to empower the most vulnerable groups,
including children, youth and elderly.
· Overall developmental strategies and related legislation of Montenegro
and Slovenia are rooted in the principle of sustainable development, and
include the perspective of social sustainability aimed at ensuring
equitable human development, reducing social risks and improving the
social inclusion of all individuals.
· As we have pointed out at previous sessions, we believe that SDGs
should be formulated through human rights based approach. Respect for
human rights is an important prerequisite for achieving sustainable
development.
· Human rights-based approach to development places particular
emphasis on providing accountability and equity. The approach should
also address justice, equality, good governance and accountability,
democracy and the rule of law with strong focus on the empowerment
and rights of women and girls and gender equality, as well as on
preventing and combating violence against women as essential
preconditions for equitable and inclusive sustainable development and
important values and objectives in themselves.
· One of the most pervasive forms of inequality is gender inequality which
is present both in private and in public sphere. Women represent half of
world's population therefore their views must be taken into
consideration. Their equal participation in all spheres of life represents
an advantage for the improvement of lives for all and in all areas.
· Gender equality and empowerment of women both is an objective on its
own and a means to improve the life of families, communities and
societies as a whole and it has catalytic positive implications in many
areas of development, including environmental sustainability. In our
efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development we
should put improvement of lives of all girls and women in the centre of
the global development framework beyond 2015. Thus, a stand-alone
goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment should be defined,
while, in parallel, gender-specific targets and indicators should be
integrated across other goals.
· By integration of gender perspective into the SDGs the advantages
brought by different skills and competences of both men and women will
contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. Therefore
we believe that women should have access to education, health care,
justice, employment, economic opportunities, including natural
resources, politics and decision making positions, media and culture, etc.
that will enable them to participate in all spheres of live on equal footing
with men. We stress the importance of participation and full
involvement of women in all endeavours to maintain and promote peace
and security, which are key prerequisites for fair, equitable and
sustainable development.
· The cooperation of men and women as well as awareness-raising and
education of women and men, including human rights education, are an
indispensable precondition for the achievement of gender equality.
· We actively support endeavours on sexual and reproductive health and
rights, most importantly for young women and girls. In developing the
post-2015 agenda we should keep in mind the gender inequalities that
stem from and are reinforced by violations of reproductive health and
rights. Human rights norms provide guidance to states about how to
overcome gender inequality and ensure substantive equality, particularly
with respect to reproductive health and rights.
· Interrelated and mutually reinforced human rights and sustainable
development goals request that human rights gaps should be addressed
for achieving truly sustainable development.
Date: 3 – 7 February 2014
Equality, social equity, gender equality and empowerment of Women
MNE–SI speaking points for 8th meeting of OWG SDGs
· Tackling inequalities is important for both reducing poverty as well as for
achieving sustainable development. Promoting social equity remains one
of crucial elements of social dimension of sustainable development,
strongly linked with other two dimensions.
· Despite widely recognised progress in promoting equality, inequalities
remain unacceptably high across all main dimensions of human life. In
order to reduce inequalities we should focus on their underlying causes
and structural reasons and also prioritise areas, which were not
sufficiently addressed in the framework of MDGs.
· To truly leave no one behind, we need to dedicate special attention to
the rights and the need to empower the most vulnerable groups,
including children, youth and elderly.
· Overall developmental strategies and related legislation of Montenegro
and Slovenia are rooted in the principle of sustainable development, and
include the perspective of social sustainability aimed at ensuring
equitable human development, reducing social risks and improving the
social inclusion of all individuals.
· As we have pointed out at previous sessions, we believe that SDGs
should be formulated through human rights based approach. Respect for
human rights is an important prerequisite for achieving sustainable
development.
· Human rights-based approach to development places particular
emphasis on providing accountability and equity. The approach should
also address justice, equality, good governance and accountability,
democracy and the rule of law with strong focus on the empowerment
and rights of women and girls and gender equality, as well as on
preventing and combating violence against women as essential
preconditions for equitable and inclusive sustainable development and
important values and objectives in themselves.
· One of the most pervasive forms of inequality is gender inequality which
is present both in private and in public sphere. Women represent half of
world's population therefore their views must be taken into
consideration. Their equal participation in all spheres of life represents
an advantage for the improvement of lives for all and in all areas.
· Gender equality and empowerment of women both is an objective on its
own and a means to improve the life of families, communities and
societies as a whole and it has catalytic positive implications in many
areas of development, including environmental sustainability. In our
efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development we
should put improvement of lives of all girls and women in the centre of
the global development framework beyond 2015. Thus, a stand-alone
goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment should be defined,
while, in parallel, gender-specific targets and indicators should be
integrated across other goals.
· By integration of gender perspective into the SDGs the advantages
brought by different skills and competences of both men and women will
contribute to the achievement of sustainable development. Therefore
we believe that women should have access to education, health care,
justice, employment, economic opportunities, including natural
resources, politics and decision making positions, media and culture, etc.
that will enable them to participate in all spheres of live on equal footing
with men. We stress the importance of participation and full
involvement of women in all endeavours to maintain and promote peace
and security, which are key prerequisites for fair, equitable and
sustainable development.
· The cooperation of men and women as well as awareness-raising and
education of women and men, including human rights education, are an
indispensable precondition for the achievement of gender equality.
· We actively support endeavours on sexual and reproductive health and
rights, most importantly for young women and girls. In developing the
post-2015 agenda we should keep in mind the gender inequalities that
stem from and are reinforced by violations of reproductive health and
rights. Human rights norms provide guidance to states about how to
overcome gender inequality and ensure substantive equality, particularly
with respect to reproductive health and rights.
· Interrelated and mutually reinforced human rights and sustainable
development goals request that human rights gaps should be addressed
for achieving truly sustainable development.