The 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to transform our world:

GOAL 1: No Poverty

GOAL 2: Zero Hunger

GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-being

GOAL 4: Quality Education

GOAL 5: Gender Equality

GOAL 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

GOAL 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

GOAL 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

GOAL 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

GOAL 10: Reduced Inequality

GOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

GOAL 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

GOAL 13: Climate Action

GOAL 14: Life Below Water

GOAL 15: Life on Land

GOAL 16: Peace and Justice Strong Institutions

GOAL 17: Partnerships to achieve the Goal

27 September 2015

As world leaders continued their Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals, UN Women and China
co-hosted a landmark event today on gender equality and women’s empowerment at which Secretary-
General Ban Ki-moon declared that the new Global Goals could not be achieved “without full and equal
rights for half of the world’s population, in law and in practice.”

At the high-level ‘Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A
Commitment to Action’ world leaders are expected to make concrete commitments and firm pledges to
overcome gender equality gaps. The event was convened in New York at UN Headquarters on the closing
day of the three-day UN Sustainable Development Summit.

“Today, world leaders are signalling their personal responsibility for gender equality and women’s
empowerment,” said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the event. “This is as it should be.”

But, said Mr. Ban, while progress has been made in many areas, there was still a long way to go.

“Far too many women and girls continue to be discriminated against, subjected to violence, denied equal
opportunities in education and employment, and excluded from positions of leadership and decision-
making,” he continued.
“We cannot achieve our 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development without full and equal rights for half
of the world’s population, in law and in practice. We cannot effectively respond to humanitarian
emergencies without ensuring women and girls are protected and their needs prioritized,” he declared.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: “The highest leaders in the land are
taking personal responsibility for their commitment to gender equality and the empowerment of
women.” She added that now, the world looks up to them to lead the game-changing actions that secure
and sustain implementation. Today we take the first firm steps towards 25 September, 2030.

The UN chief commended the leadership of President Xi Jinping, and thanked both the Government of
China and UN Women for organizing today’s event which, he said, marked the culmination of activities to
mark the 20th anniversary of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.

He also called upon world leaders to commit to securing true gender equality.

“This means urgently addressing structural barriers, such as unequal pay,” said Mr. Ban, adding that it
also meant recognizing women’s unpaid care burden, the right of women and girls to govern their sexual
and reproductive health, ending violence against women and girls, building women’s equal participation
in the political arena and in humanitarian response, conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

The Secretary-General also highlighted the importance of civil society, women’s organizations and human
rights defenders in the work to drive the 2030 Agenda forward, and called upon the private sector to
promote gender equality.

“We need a 50:50 Planet by 2030. Let’s step it up for gender equality,” he said. “As we look ahead to
2030, let us be able to say that today we marked a milestone in the quest to realize full and lasting
gender equality

3 October 2008

Inés Alberdi new UNIFEM Executive Director

Women in five African countries will gain new access to resources and services at the local level through
gender-responsive planning, programming and budgeting under an $8 million, three-year United Nations
programme announced this week.

The Gender Equitable Local Development (GELD) programme brings together the UN Development Fund
for Women (UNIFEM), the UN Development Fund (UNDP) and the UN Capital Development Fund
(UNCDF) in a collective effort to build the capacity of local governments to mainstream a gender
perspective in planning and budgeting and facilitate participation of women and community
organizations in these processes.

“This programme aims to achieve concrete improvement in women’s local realities,” UNIFEM Executive
Director Inés Alberdi said of the initiative, which will be rolled out in local governments in Mozambique,
Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Tanzania.

“It not only seeks to ensure local governments’ accountability to secure women’s equitable access to
public services and productive assets, but also acknowledges women’s agency in shaping decision-
making around local plans and budgets.”

The programme confirms the commitment of UNCDF, UNIFEM and UNDP to work in the spirit of the
“One UN” principles, which aim to achieve greater coherence and efficiency from the Organization’s
various agencies and bodies.

“UNCDF, UNIFEM and UNDP have consolidated strengths and experience in supporting performance-
based, gender-responsive planning and budgeting for local development, which can be drawn from
various countries all over the world,” UNCDF Deputy Executive Secretary Henriette Keijzers said.

“These complementary perspectives are being brought together to generate empirical experience on
gender-equitable local development that could be replicated and up-scaled,” she added.

BANGKOK – A Filipina has been elected to lead the review of a United Nations resolution advancing
women's rights.
Rhodora Bucoy, chair of the Philippine Commission on Women and head of the Philippine delegation
here, was chosen to lead the drafting of an outcome document to be adopted at a gathering of Asia-
Pacific ministers, United Nations officials and civil society organizations in Bangkok seeking to review
progress in implementing a UN resolution advancing women’s rights.

She was nominated by a representative from Japan and subsequently elected chair of a closed working
group that will prepare the outcome document of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Beijing+25
Review.The conference will examine what developments have taken place and what challenges the Asia-
Pacific region is still facing in complying with the Beijing Declaration and Beijing Platform of Action,
considered a milestone agreement for promoting gender equality adopted in 1995.

Over 500 delegates are attending the conference.

A gender and development expert and advocate, Bucoy served as Philippine Commission on Women
commissioner from August 2013 to 2016, when she was appointed chair.

She is a retired associate professor of political science and development, and gender studies at the
University of the Philippines in Cebu and is credited for introducing a gender-fair curriculum in the K-to-
12 basic education program of the Department of Education.

“It’s a privilege for the Philippines to be elected as chair of the working group which will review the
outcome document and which shall be adopted by the ministers at the end of the conference,” she told
ABS-CBN News shortly after her election.

“That would be a very tough work 'coz we will be looking at the document and ensuring that there will
be consensus especially on contested language in some parts of the document. But we hope that we’ll
be able to galvanize the cooperation of all the member-states in the Asia-Pacific region so we’ll really be
able to have this outcome document approved by the body,” she added.

Among key issues that will be included in the draft document, she shared, are: ensuring prosperity and
inclusive development, eliminating all forms of violence against women, advancing migrant workers and
sexual and reproductive health rights, as well as the impact of the climate crisis on women.
Bucoy leads a 20-member delegation of the Philippines to the conference, joined by Socioeconomic
Planning Undersecretary Jose Miguel de la Rosa, Southeast Asia Women Watch’s Patricia Licuanan, and
Miriam College professor Aurora Javale-de Dios, among other officials.

Ministers from some 20 countries are also present, while around 300 civil society organizations from 35
countries are also taking part in this 3-day conference.

During the opening ceremony Wednesday morning, UN officials said significant progress have been
made since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration, such as better access to education, lower mortality
rates and efforts by countries to take legal steps to address violence against women.

Still, more needs to be done.

They noted that women still bear the disproportionate brunt of unpaid care and domestic work. Globally,
women spend 3 times more than men, while in the Asia-Pacific, they spend 11 times more.

They also highlighted the need for more participation of women in politics, noting that women occupy
only 25 percent of seats in parliaments worldwide.

The reason for this? Lack of political will, governments wanting to suppress dissent and human rights,
and lack of financing, they said.

A representative from civil society organizations, meanwhile, said it was time for system change, asking
government officials to make them more involved in decision-making.

Among others, they urged member states to ensure primacy of human rights in trade and investment
agreements, greater protection for those in the formal and informal economy sector including migrant
workers, universal health care for all, decriminalize abortion and sex work, and end discriminatory laws.
“We, the women and young people of the Asia and the Pacific, are confident that you will take bold steps
in translating Beijing commitments and our recommendations into actions that will fundamentally
transform our lives,” a representative said, drawing applause from the participants.

The Philippine delegation is set to present the Philippine situation Wednesday afternoon.

MANILA - All-gender restrooms will be installed in select SM Supermalls in the capital starting November,
its operator said Thursday.

SM Mall of Asia, SM City North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM Aura Premier, The Podium, and SM Seaside City
Cebu will start installing all-gender restrooms in November to foster "gender-inclusive community," SM
Supermalls said in a statement on its website.

“With inclusivity and innovation at the core of everything we do, we endeavor to create spaces where all
shoppers are welcome,” said SM Supermalls COO Steven Tan.

The Sy family's retail empire will continue to provide safe spaces that advocate inclusivity, equality and
respect for all regardless of gender expression, identity or sexual orientation, the statement said.

A mall in Cubao, Quezon City went viral in August after a transgender woman was barred from using its
female lavatory.

Trans woman detained after being harassed for using ladies' toilet in QC mall

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier said he would certify as urgent anti-discrimination bills to protects
members of the LGBT community.

Gender balance a 'win-win' for firms, says International Finance Corp

ABS-CBN News
Posted at Mar 11 2019 04:43 PM

MANILA – Funds with gender-balance leadership generate 20 percent more returns, an International
Finance Corp (IFC) study released Monday showed.

Access to startup capital, which is often times "severely restricted" for women, reaches up to 12 percent
in gender-balanced teams compared to 7 percent in non-balanced environments, according to IFC's
"Moving Toward Gender-Balance in Private Equity and Venture Capitalist" study.

"We have seen and we’ve proven, now that we have the evidence in data, that closing gaps between
men and women is really win-win for all," said IFC global manager for gender secretariat Henriette Kolb.

The IFC is helping insurance firms across the globe understand and address the needs of women in terms
of financial protection.

"What we help insurance companies do is to better understand who their customers are and what do
women want and need. Because women face very different needs across their life cycle, starting from
birth," Kolb said.

"We’re helping insurance industry close those gap because we know it’s a good value proposition," she
said.