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“The Danish Government has decided to take an international lead on MDG3. We want to make sure there is a stronger focus on gender and the empowerment of women all over the world because the world will not reach the Millennium Development Goals without putting a strong focus on women,” says Ulla Tørnæs, the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation.
The basic premise is that increased investment in women provides support to economic growth and poverty reduction.
According to the draft Health Service Development Plan (HSDP) joint UNDP and Ministry of Heath report of 2005, the per capita health service expenditure of Ethiopia is rated at 5.9 US dollars, the least among a list of other developing countries such as Kenya (31 USD), Uganda(18 USD), and Tanzania(8 USD). The report also indicated that in order to meet MDGs Ethiopia needs to increase the health service expenditure to 34 USD.
Women farmers in Africa
Over 80 percent of farmers in Africa are women.
The Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) is mobilising worldwide on International Women’s Day to call for gender equality to end poverty. With women representing 70% of the worlds poor, the issue of gender equality in the fight to end poverty has been carried by campaigners to the doors of governments and multilateral instiutions by GCAP coalitions since 2005.
GCAP campaigning to achieve gender equity
GCAP Partners from around the world have been campaigning to achieve equality and end poverty. This slideshow portrays some of that work.
Women and the MDGs Fact Sheet
In September 2000, the leaders of the world committed to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to end poverty and make development a reality for all people by 2015.
The world now stands at the halfway point towards making the Goals a reality, but results have been uneven.
To ensure the world realizes its potential to make poverty history, significant progress must be made to ensure gender equity.
Ana Agostino - The Importance of Women in Ending Poverty
Ana Agostino is Co-Chair of GCAP and the facilitator for the Feminist
Task Force (FTF) . This year the FTF use the International Women’s Day
to highlight the centrality of gender equality to end poverty and the
importance of investing in women and girls. They are also calling for
financing of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Bharati Silawal-Giri: Gender and Development Adviser at UNDP
Bharati Silawal-Giri talks about the importance of women in eradicating poverty on the occasion of International Women’s Day
Women in Government
In 2006, women only held 15% of seats in national parliament
Female Refugees
80% of the world’s 14 million refugees are women and children
