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	From Never Again to Never Happened by Michelle Bachelet UN High Commissioner for Human Rights   June 2022   After the horrors of World War II, the international community enshrined the principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Yet current global trends show that today's leaders are increasingly failing to prevent human-rights violations, or even to hold perpetrators to account.   We live in a world of intersecting crises. Against the backdrop of the human and planetary tragedy caused by climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect on employment, health, and housing. Socioeconomic inequalities continue to grow, one’s lot in life too often is determined by one’s skin color, gender, or passport. Persistent, raging violence and conflicts are destroying millions of lives around the world.   As a woman in Afghanistan told me this year, her dream is that “as we emerge from the ashes of war, one day, social justice will be maintained.” She is one of many courageous human-rights defenders whom I have had the honor to meet during my three-plus years as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.   In looking at the world’s major crises, what strikes me is that there is a common denominator. Each reflects the human capacity to ignore or forget what came before. We react so quickly to each new or immediate problem that we lose sight of their common causes. Some may see this tendency as a form of resilience. But I fear that we are undermining our ability to respond to and prevent future crises.   Consider Russia’s war in Ukraine, which has torn apart millions of lives and shown us humanity at its worst and at its best. The attacks on civilians have been brutal, and nearly 15 million people have been forced from their homes. And while European and other countries have responded with a remarkable show of unity, theirs is a selective solidarity. Millions of others who have fled violent conflict or human-rights violations have been prevented from reaching safe havens, often by discriminatory and racist national policies. Are some refugees and migrants more equal than others? Our disparate global handling of migrants and refugees suggests so.   We need to be better – and more honest – about the connections between the crises we face. Only then can we prevent or better manage similar challenges in the future. While many around the world voiced solidarity in the early months of the pandemic, the sense that “We are all in this together” soon gave way to selfish, divisive, and nationalistic policies, which have now become normalized. More than 11.9 billion COVID-19 vaccines have been administered globally; but, owing to vaccine nationalism, just 18% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.   Making matters worse, in all too many countries, those who are brave enough to speak up and defend human rights are being silenced, threatened, and murdered. Last year, at least 28 journalists were killed for exposing rights violations or simply doing their jobs, and some 293 more were detained.   In Tajikistan, the authorities have made arbitrary arrests and responded with excessive force to peaceful protests. In Russia, Tunisia, and Nicaragua, governments have adopted or are planning legislation to limit freedom of association and to crack down on foreign-funded media and NGOs. In Sri Lanka, government supporters have attacked people protesting economic hardship. With the war in Ukraine driving up food and energy prices far and wide, we may soon witness similar unrest in many other countries.   Moreover, internet and social-media shutdowns and digital surveillance are increasing all around the world. There is an unmistakable global trend toward censorship and the silencing of dissent.   All of this is having powerful knock-on effects. Trust in public institutions is declining, as is trust between countries. International laws that promised us safety and dignity are being flouted in Ukraine, Myanmar, Yemen, Ethiopia, Syria, and many other countries.   The problem is compounded by an alarming lack of accountability for abuses and rights violations. Such persistent impunity will embolden current and future perpetrators, further undermining trust in international law.   Each reveals an underlying failure to address the common sources of discrimination and division. While there is no magic bullet to solve these problems, I am convinced that we can emerge stronger from today’s crises. Promoting and protecting human rights will propel us toward a future in which peace, development, and justice prevail over war, inequality, and discrimination. But first, we will need to draw on our collective memories.   One lesson from the recent past is that economic growth will not necessarily create rights-respecting societies, as was once assumed. It is now clear that governments need to craft budgets with more transparency and participation to address the needs of those who have the least. Economic growth alone will not ensure that everyone has access to essential levels of health care, social protection, and education.   Moreover, governments, the private sector, and international organizations like the UN must create more spaces for people to participate in public life, paying special attention to those who have been traditionally marginalized and excluded.   And, to address rampant impunity for rights violations, governments must recognize their own responsibility to strengthen national accountability systems. That means bolstering the independence and credibility of the judiciary and other investigatory and law-enforcement mechanisms.   We also need more coordination among the various international institutions of justice and accountability, so that these processes reinforce each other. That is a daunting task. But it is well worth the effort. Today’s human-rights system was born in response to some of the darkest episodes in modern history. Past experience has shown us that more multilateralism is the only viable way forward.   After the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, the international community declared, “Never again.” But we keep making the same mistakes, and permitting similar horrors. To defend the enduring principle that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, we must end impunity for those who scorn it.   * Michelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, is United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights: http://bit.ly/3QRAHxY Visit the related web page
	Achieving gender equality is still centuries away by Sima Bahous, Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr UN Women, Project Syndicate, Social Europe, agencies   Sep. 2022   Achieving gender equality is still centuries away, by Sima Bahous. (UN Women)   Achieving gender equality is still centuries away, warns the United Nations in a new report. At the current rate of progress, it may take close to 300 years to achieve full gender equality, the “Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): The Gender Snapshot 2022” shows.   Global challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath, violent conflict, climate change, and the backlash against women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are further exacerbating gender disparities.   The new report, launched today by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), highlights that, at the current pace of progress, SDG 5—achieving gender equality—will not be met by 2030.   Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director, said: “This is a tipping point for women’s rights and gender equality as we approach the half-way mark to 2030. It is critical that we rally now to invest in women and girls to reclaim and accelerate progress. The data show undeniable regressions in their lives made worse by the global crises—in incomes, safety, education, and health. The longer we take to reverse this trend, the more it will cost us all.”   “Cascading global crises are putting the achievement of the SDGs in jeopardy, with the world’s most vulnerable population groups disproportionately impacted, in particular women and girls. Gender equality is a foundation for achieving all SDGs and it should be at the heart of building back better,” said Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of UN DESA.   Without swift action, legal systems that do not ban violence against women, do not protect women’s rights in marriage and family—for instance, denying women their right to pass on their nationality to their children, or to inherit—do not provide them with equal pay and benefits at work, and do not guarantee their equal rights to own and control land, may continue to exist for generations to come.   At the current rate of progress, the report estimates that it will take up to 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and remove discriminatory laws, 140 years for women to be represented equally in positions of power and leadership in the workplace, and at least 40 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.   To eradicate child marriage by 2030, progress must be 17 times faster than progress of the last decade, with girls from the poorest rural households and in conflict-affected areas expected to suffer the most.   The report also points to a worrisome reversal on the reduction of poverty, and rising prices are likely to exacerbate this trend. By the end of 2022, around 383 million women and girls will live in extreme poverty (on less than USD 1.90 a day) compared to 368 million men and boys. Many more will have insufficient income to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and adequate shelter in most parts of the world. If current trends continue, in sub-Saharan Africa, more women and girls will live in extreme poverty by 2030 than today.   The invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war there is further worsening food insecurity and hunger, especially among women and children, limiting supplies of wheat, fertilizer and fuel, and propelling inflation. In 2021, about 38 per cent of female-headed households in war-affected areas experienced moderate or severe food insecurity, compared to 20 per cent of male-headed households.   Further facts and figures highlighted in the report include:   In 2020, school and preschool closures required 672 billion hours of additional unpaid childcare globally. Assuming the gender divide in care work remained the same as before the pandemic, women would have shouldered 512 billion of those hours.   Globally, women lost an estimated USD 800 billion in income in 2020 due to the pandemic, and despite a rebound, their participation in labour markets is projected to be lower in 2022 than it was pre-pandemic (50.8 per cent, compared to 51.8 per cent in 2019).   There are now more women and girls who are forcibly displaced than ever before: some 44 million women and girls by the end of 2021.   Today, over 1.2 billion women and girls of reproductive age (15–49) live in countries and areas with some restriction on access to safe abortion.   The report points out that achieving universal girls’ education, while not enough by itself, would improve such an outlook significantly. Each additional year of schooling can boost a girl’s earnings as an adult by up to 20 per cent with further impacts on poverty reduction, better maternal health, lower child mortality, greater HIV prevention, and reduced violence against women.   The report showcases that cooperation, partnerships, and investments in the gender equality agenda, including through increased global and national funding, are essential to correct the course and place gender equality back on track.   http://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/press-release/2022/09/press-release-achieving-full-gender-equality-is-still-centuries-away-warns-the-united-nations-in-a-new-report   May 2022   Climate leadership needs more women, by Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr.   ‘The higher you go; the fewer women there are.’ This observation, by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and environmental trailblazer Wangari Maathai, reflects a reality familiar to all women who have aspired to leadership positions, and it has gained a new meaning for me as the climate crisis has intensified. Though it is already clear that women and girls will face higher risks and greater burdens because of climate change, they remain significantly under-represented in climate and environmental negotiations.   In 2019, the United Nations Gender Composition Report noted that the number of women represented in UN Framework Convention on Climate Change bodies was not in line with efforts to create gender balance. In response, member states adopted a gender action plan at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in 2019. The plan recognised that ‘full, meaningful, and equal participation and leadership of women in all aspects of the UNFCCC process and in national- and local-level climate policy and action is vital for achieving long-term climate goals’.   And yet, by the time COP26 rolled around two years later, little had changed. The United Kingdom’s COP26 presidency was predominantly male-led and just 11 of the 74 African national representatives were women. Moreover, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity appears to be exhibiting a similar tendency, with male negotiators outnumbering women negotiators by around 60.   Short-sighted at best   The failure to ensure equal representation and women’s participation in efforts to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss is short-sighted at best and potentially reckless. The problem is also increasingly urgent. Last month, delegates from around the world gathered in Geneva for one of the final rounds of negotiations to conclude the new UN Global Biodiversity Framework. With the aim of accelerating action to halt further species loss and tackle climate change, these gatherings will shape the global response to both crises for years to come.   The latest reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have demonstrated the scale of these crises. The IPCC has documented unequivocally that human activities are warming our planet’s surface, leading to rapidly changing weather systems, biodiversity loss and increased resource insecurity.   By 2100, 50 per cent of Africa’s bird and mammal species could disappear. We are potentially entering a sixth mass extinction and, if the problem is left unchecked, our sources of food, water and medicine will be increasingly at risk.   Women comprise the majority of the world’s poor and are disproportionately affected by these crises. In the developing world, they are overwhelmingly responsible for sourcing food and water for their families, and they often take the lead in fuel collection and household management. Women also make up nearly half of the world’s smallholder farmers, producing 70 per cent of Africa’s food.   Pervasive inequalities   As such, women and girls are often the first to experience the harsh realities of climate change. But, owing to pervasive inequalities which limited their access to education and health care, unequal employment rates and low rates of representation in public office, they are less likely than men to be able to participate in decision-making processes.   If the last two years have shown us anything, it is that women’s leadership is critical in tumultuous times. According to a study of 194 countries, the immediate responses to the Covid-19 pandemic were systematically better in countries with women leaders.   Similarly, research has found that ‘female representation leads countries to adopt more stringent climate-change policies’ and that a high degree of female representation in parliament makes it more likely that a country will ratify international environmental treaties.   Women bring not just ambition but also different perspectives and experiences to the table. As a result, their contributions ultimately lead to more nuanced and inclusive environmental policies.   Women’s leadership   In Africa, the importance of women’s leadership in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss is evident to anyone who looks.   In Nigeria, the minister of state for the environment, Sharon Ikeazor, has advocated for the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People and pushed for fossil-fuel subsidies to be replaced by investments in sustainable, low-carbon development. In Rwanda, the minister of environment, Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, has won praise for her inclusive rainforest conservation efforts.   In Chad, the environmental activist Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim continues to champion Africa’s local communities and indigenous peoples at the highest levels of the UN. And here in Freetown, we are planting one million trees over three rainy seasons to promote climate resilience and green job creation.   All these women, including me, have championed ‘30×30’, the global campaign to protect 30 per cent of the world’s surface by 2030. Meeting this objective would prevent further ecosystem destruction and the effort could lead to the first-ever global agreement to halt the destruction of nature.   Many more women are tackling biodiversity loss and climate change, including indigenous women who are using their unique knowledge of the land to farm more sustainably and protect fragile ecosystems, and aspiring politicians running on integrated policy platforms linking reproductive health, education and environmental protection.   Those who are already in leadership positions must ensure that these women are given a chance to contribute.   Much has changed since 2004, when Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to sustainable development, democracy and peace. Emissions have surged and extreme weather events have increased in frequency and intensity. But much has also stayed the same: women continue to be excluded from leadership positions and the world continues to pay the price for it.   As the final negotiations for the new Global Biodiversity Framework continue, and as we approach this year’s UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), we have a duty to address these failures. If we don’t bring more women to the table, a climate disaster is almost certainly guaranteed.   * Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr is Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone.   http://socialeurope.eu/climate-leadership-needs-more-women http://www.ipsnews.net/2022/09/full-gender-equality-almost-300-years-away-current-rate-progress/ http://www.unep.org/news-and-stories/speech/road-women-make http://www.oxfam.org/en/why-majority-worlds-poor-are-women http://bit.ly/3UfxI57 Visit the related web page
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