NEW YORK, Oct 16 (IPS) – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty UN Women published the 2024 World Survey on the Role of Women in Development Report ahead of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17. This is the report of the UN Secretary General, commissioned by the Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) of the UN General Assembly, and focuses on macroeconomic policy, sustainable development, financing and eradication of the poverty.
Every five years, the Report’s executive agency, so to speak – UN Women – presents remark that it provides an important opportunity for research and in-depth assessment of a theme related to gender equality and economic and social policy, “for the UN Member States”.
This 2024 edition focuses on: Harnessing social protection for gender equality, resilience and transformation. The report underlines, among other critical aspects, the widening gender gap in social protection, making women and girls more vulnerable to poverty. The report points out that while social protection levels have increased since 2015, gender gaps in social protection have widened in most developing countries. regions.
The report suggests and notes that men have benefited more from the recent gains than women two billion women and girls do not have access to any form of social protection.
While it may not be common knowledge, and not necessarily stated as such in the report, maternal health is one of the most fundamental forms of health care for future generations. Without maternity protection, entire social structures – families, children, households, communities and nations, even generations – can be eliminated.
Even on that front, the report shows the dismal state of maternity protection around the world. Despite progress, more than 63 percent of women worldwide still give birth without access to maternity benefits, while in sub-Saharan Africa this figure has risen to 94 percent.
The report points out that the lack of financial support during maternity leave not only disadvantages women economically, but also perpetuates poverty itself across generations.
One of the buildings of the report, a reason for existence in a sense, what has been at the heart of the research and discussions by global experts and UN Women’s own analysts, is that a gender analysis of opportunities, risks and levers for protecting and promoting rights “along the chain of social protection” largely missing.
The report therefore aims to fill this gap by looking at how delivery mechanisms – including eligibility, registration and enrollment processes; monitoring, participation and accountability payments; and service delivery and case management – can be strengthened to reduce discrimination, address multiple and intersecting inequalities and empower women and girls in all their diversity.
To this end, the report assesses evidence on barriers and enablers, including ways in which digital and data innovations can be used to increase women’s access to social protection, as well as the role of women’s organizations in demanding access, sensitizing communities, supporting of last mile registration and monitoring and accountability.
The report addresses the “major financial gap” that currently limits the ability of many developing countries to invest in gender-sensitive social protection systems through greater mobilization of domestic resources and additional international support.
It notes that global social protection spending is currently insufficient to guarantee national social protection floors, let alone provide ever-higher levels of protection to as many people as possible. The report aims to explore good practices to increase domestic resources from taxes and social security contributions – with a focus on doing this in gender-equal and sustainable ways.
The report clearly points out that many countries have the resources to create fiscal space domestically and notes that low-income countries are unlikely to be able to raise the additional $77.9 billion (or 15.9 percent) on their own. of their GDP) needed for the economy. implementation of a social basic floor.
The report also discusses the need for global action, including debt cancellation, reform of multilateral development banks’ lending practices, fair global tax treaties that ensure multinational corporations pay their fair share, as well as an increase in official development assistance.
This groundbreaking report on social protection is not only a means of reflection for the UN Member States, or for the more than sixty offices, funds and mechanisms of the world’s leading multilateral entity. It is a necessary tool to hold all human rights duty bearers accountable.
As such, this fact-based, well-researched and necessary report fails on one critical point: it failed to take into account the diverse consultations, let alone the calculations carried out and evidence provided. Civil society organizations actively participate and contribute – and have done so for centuries.
To give a small example of how fellow entities (to avoid anyone being accused of the and faith communities in health emergencies published in November 2021 (inspired by the UN worldview) about the countless forms of social protection resources from/by religious institutions, I mention the following: in his Strategy for engaging religious leaders and faith-based organizations Covid-19 dynamics), the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the involvement of these constituencies in supporting national governments during health emergencies.
The goal, WHO notes, was/is “to enable more effective responses by strengthening collaboration between WHO, national governments and religious leaders, faith-based organizations and faith communities, thereby helping more people to be better protected from emergencies in the world.” health and enjoy better health and well-being, including greater confidence and social cohesion”.
For the World Food Program (WFP), just one Church partner (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Mormons) has donated $32 million in 2022 alone to provide food and other assistance to 1, 6 million people in the world. nine countries. The WFP works with a range of other religious actors in its advocacy, but also, crucially, in its services.
Likewise, UNICEF (the United Nations Children’s Fund) recognizes its partnerships with faith-based organizations (FBOs) in a variety of ways, including raising and receiving funds (for UNICEF work), advocacy, program implementation and collaboration in a series of issues. , such as child nutrition and the protection of child refugees – to name just a few.
In reasoning for their long history of partnerships, UNICEF notes that faith-based actors are “uniquely able to reach underserved groups… have also historically played a role in providing food, clothing, shelter and promoting community development”.
Are none of these entities engaged in advising and supporting governments to improve social protection resources and mechanisms? Or is it the case that despite this (and much more evidence about how religious institutions, leaders and NGOs contribute to the oldest forms of social protection known to man), this report, like most research and data on social protection, remains blind and/or silent about these global, regional and national sectors.
Any understanding of social protection without taking into account these providers and the range of services they provide not only fails to analyze them, but also fails to mention how religious actors fill some of the financial gaps – and not necessarily always to the benefit of women’s empowerment and gender equality.
But who should hold them accountable?
Dr. Azza Karam is an affiliate professor at the Ansari Institute for Global Engagement with Religion at the University of Notre Dame Keough School for Global Affairsand president and CEO of Lead Integrity, a faith-inspired and women-led global management consulting firm.
IPS UN Office
Follow @IPSNewsUNBureau
Follow IPS News UN Bureau on Instagram
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
