Paris conference aims to fast-track road to gender equality

UNITED NATIONS — An international conference opening in Paris on Wednesday aims to fast-track the road to gender equality and mobilize millions of dollars to achieve the long-sought goal quickly, the head of the U.N.’s premiere global body fighting to empower women says. UN Women’s Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said in an interview with The Associated Press that the underfunding of women’s programs and the slow implementation of a 150-platform to achieve gender equality adopted by the world’s nations in Beijing in 1995 “leaves a lot of women in a situation where they will never really realize their true and full potential.” What the three-day Generation Equality Forum starting Wednesday is about, she said, is tackling and funding all areas where women have been “short-changed” -- forced marriage, gender-based violence, leaving school, experiencing the devastating impacts of climate change, trying to crack glass ceilings, losing out on innovation and technology, and ensuring their sexual and reproductive rights and health. “The fact is that we are not doing what is right by women is a true reflection of people who really don’t care or understand the pain that women go through.” The Generation Equality Forum in Paris, an initiative of UN Women marking the 25th anniversary of the 1995 Beijing women’s conference, was delayed from last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and will be mainly virtual because of the continuing global impact of the coronavirus. “Anyone who is going to speak at this conference, they are speaking because they are making a commitment.” Mlambo-Ngcuka said Wednesday’s opening of the Generation Equality Forum at the Elysee Palace will include remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the presidents of South Africa and Argentina and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, who will be speaking virtually. When Mlambo-Ngcuka became head of UN Women in 2013, she said the budget was about $250,000, and she was told “our mission is to take UN Women to half a million — and my heart almost stopped.” At this week’s conference, she said, she will be announcing “a new day” for the U.N. agency including major contributions that will transform UN Women “into a true coordinator of the women’s agenda in the world.” Without disclosing the amount, she indicated it will be in the millions and that in the future “we’re looking more for billions.” Mlambo-Ngcuka said the women’s agenda will receive investments from the World Bank, the Gates Foundation whose co-founder Melinda Gates will be in Paris, from governments, the Ford Foundation, the private sector including Salesforce, “and other very important contributors.