Antonio Guterres
The United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, has urged UN member States to include gender response in its coronavirus (Covid-19) plan.
The UN Secretary General in a statement at the launch of a report on the impact of Covid-19 on women said the global response plans needs to address the gender impacts of the pandemic to drive better and more sustainable development outcomes for all.
He observed that early data indicates that the mortality rates from Covid-19 may be higher for men however, the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls.
He said nearly 60 per cent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty.
Mr Guterres again noted that as markets fall and businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared.
“At the same time as they are losing paid employment, women’s unpaid care work has increased exponentially as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people,” he observed.
The UN Secretary General further indicated that the pandemic has also led to a horrifying increase in violence against women as nearly one in five women worldwide has experienced violence in the past year.
“Many of these women are now trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions.
These currents are combining as never before to defeat women’s rights and deny women’s opportunities,” he stated.
He therefore reiterated his call for governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19.
“That starts with women as leaders, with equal representation and decision-making power.
Measures to protect and stimulate the economy, from cash transfers to credits and loans, must be targeted at women, ” he suggested.
The UN General Secretary said Social safety nets must be expanded while unpaid care work must be recognized and valued as a vital contribution to the economy.
“Covid-19 is not only challenging global health systems, but testing our common humanity.
Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together, to recovering faster, and to building a better future for everyone, ” he added.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri