Women and Development
Statement by Ambassador Hjįlmar W. Hannesson
Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations
at the
Substantive Session of the Economic and Social Council
Agenda Item 13 (l)
Women and Development
New York, 21 July 2005
Mr. President,
The Beijing Conference on Women marked a milestone in our common stuggle against poverty, when the international community agreed on the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action to advance the lives of women and girls around the world. The decade that has passed since has demonstrated that it is possible to improve women’s and girls“ lives. However we still have a long way to go as we heard at the Beijing + 10 Special Session earlier this year.
As primary care-givers in all societies, women are central agents of development. This fact is reflected in the third Millennium Development Goal, which calls for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. However, this goal, while valuable in itself, is also fundamental for the achievement of the other MDGs, as few things are as important to successful development as the social, political and economic participation of women.
If our common global goal is to improve health and education, reduce child mortality, curtail the spread of HIV/Aids, support robust civil society, increase productivity and promote democracy – then development efforts must target women specifically.
Here, education plays a central role. Educated women have fewer children, provide better nutrition and health for their families, experience significantly lower child mortality, generate more income and are more likely to educate their own children, thereby creating a positive cycle for continuing development.
The Icelandic authorities have long recognized the importance of the education of women in developing countries. This has been exemplified by Iceland's support of adult literacy projects that have proved beneficial for women in our partner countries, and of grassroots projects that target widows and single mothers. Girls’ education is also becoming an increasingly important part of our development cooperation, for example through school feeding programs.
Mr. President
History has shown that there is a strong negative relationship between conflict and development. Moreover, women tend to be disproportionally affected by conflict, thereby diminishing their important contribution to successful development.
The role of women is also particularly important in post-conflict societies. In such circumstances, women often make up the majority of the population and have primary responsibility for raising the succeeding generation. Therefore, women need to be actively engaged in successful post-conflict reconstruction and development efforts.
The Icelandic authorities acknowledge the nexus between gender, conflict and development, and an important part in Iceland's development cooperation is directed towards facilitating a smooth transition from conflict situations with special emphasis on women. Here, UNIFEM plays an important role and this year Iceland will more than triple its contribution to UNIFEM. Moreover, for the past few years the Icelandic Crisis Response Unit has seconded gender experts to UNIFEM in Kosovo.
The ambitious poverty reduction goals set out in the Millennium Declaration will not be achieved without the promotion of gender equality. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the international community remain committed to advancing the Beijing Platform for Action goals and thereby work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
Thank you Mr. President
