[**China Women's Daily].
Pictured is the 2024 International Women's Day poster **UN Women.
International Women's Day 2024 is just around the corner. This year, UN Women celebrates global achievements and efforts in the area of gender equality under the theme "Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress". At the same time, it calls for increased investment in gender equality, unleashing women's economic potential and building a more equitable and sustainable future. This theme is also in line with the theme of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2023, which emphasizes the importance of increasing investment in gender equality.
The world is at a crossroads in its journey towards gender equality, and 2024 is a critical and challenging year. Worldwide, nearly 600 million women live in conflict-affected settings and face increased crises and risks, including resource shortages, food insecurity, and increased gender-based violence. Increasing climate change is also exacerbating existing gender inequalities. Worldwide, about 76Women are responsible for 2 per cent of unpaid care work.
Financing for gender-responsive measures remains alarmingly scarce, with annual deficits of $360 billion. Today, 1 in 10 women still live in extreme poverty. According to the UN Sustainable Development Goals Progress: Gender Bulletin 2023, if current trends continue, there will still be 34.2 billion women have not been lifted out of extreme poverty. At the same time, only 5 per cent of all ** aid is used to address violence against women and girls, and less than 0 per cent is used to prevent violence against women and girls2%。
Realizing women's rights is not only a moral imperative, but also a wise economic investment. Closing the gender employment gap could boost GDP per capita by 20 per cent in all regions. Therefore, investing in women is not only good for women, but also for society as a whole.
We urgently need to take action to increase investment in gender-responsive measures. In line with the theme of International Women's Day 2024, the following are key areas where joint action is needed:
The first is to invest in women. We are running out of time to address this issue. SDG5 Gender equality is not just a goal in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, but also a foundation for equitable societies and a prerequisite for other goals to be achieved.
The second is to eradicate poverty. As a result of the economic impact of the pandemic and the increasing severity of climate change, an additional 75 million people have been pushed into extreme poverty since 2020. We need to act now to prevent more women and girls from falling back into poverty.
The third is to implement gender-responsive investments. In 2020-2021, total aid for projects with the main goal of promoting gender equality and women's empowerment was US$5.7 billion per year, accounting for only 4% of total bilateral assistance. Scaling up gender-responsive financing is key to achieving lasting, transformative change for women and girls, and an important response to the global crisis.
Fourth, the transformation to a green economy and a caring society. We must transition to a green economy and a caring society, ensuring that women are fully represented and involved at decision-making levels, and that their voice and leadership are strengthened.
Fifth, support women's organizations to prevent gender-based violence. Many women in the Asia-Pacific region experienced online violence in 2021. Supporting women's organizations and social organizations is essential to promote gender equality and prevent gender-based violence.
On International Women's Day 2024, let's turn challenges into opportunities and create a more equal and better future together!
Bai Chen, finishing).
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