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Women bear an unequal burden when it comes to most aspects of life, from poverty or HIV/AIDS to climate change. They are far more likely to be subjected to domestic violence and less likely to go to school, receive adequate health care or participate in decision-making structures.
ACTSA believes that gender equality and the empowerment of women is crucial for advancing development and reducing poverty in southern Africa, and aims to integrate a gender perspective in all its work. UN Women The
United Nations has a key role in working for women's rights on a global
level. However, until now the UN bodies dealing with gender equality
have been under-resourced and fragmented. On 1 January 2011 UN Women was established with Michelle Bachelet, noted for her work on
gender equality while President of Chile, appointed
as its head. |
Taking action: Put women and girls first
| | Eleven months after it was established, the new UN women’s agency has been promised only a quarter of the $500 million it needs to make a difference to the lives of women and girls. ACTSA members have called on Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, to provide fair funding for UN Women. See Andrew Mitchell's response to our action here |
Gender and Development in Southern AfricaWe were delighted to be joined by Stephen Lewis at our conference, Gender and Development in Southern Africa, on 30 October 2010. You can view the video of his keynote speech here.
Stephen Lewis is a former UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa, former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF and was the Canadian Ambassador to the UN. Stephen has been one of the leading advocates for the establishment of the UN Women's Agency. He is also outspoken on violence against women in DRC and Zimbabwe. He is currently the co-director of AIDS Free World.
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