Women Are Key Players for the Sustainable Development of the World, UNESCO

A study on equality and women of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO), declared that gender and women’s education are key factors to achieve sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals around the globe.

The Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report 2016: Gender Review, presented yesterday as part of UNESCO’s celebrations of the International Day of the Girl Child, reports that research suggests “countries with higher female parliamentary representation are more likely to ratify international environmental treaties.”

The document emphasizes that through acquiring literacy, confidence and communication skills, education can empower women to become leaders.  Further education and professional training also help women to gain credibility and influence among leaders and decision-makers.

Learn more:  International Day of the Girl Child

Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, said that “significant and transformative action is required to redress deeply embedded and complex gender inequalities that impact people within and beyond education and prevent the achievement of gender equality,”

“Whether society manages to reform in line with these recommendations will affect the empowerment of women and girls and, ultimately, the realization of sustainable development,” she added.

To ensure woman’s development, it is necessary to end gender discrimination and disadvantages in society to allow greater access for women in areas such as employment. According with the report, strong differences were observed in choices for higher education: “Women make up 70% of those choosing to major in education, but only 25% of those choosing engineering and computer science.”

The director of the GEM Report, Aaron Benavot, said that “educating men and boys to challenge conventional gender norms is equally important than educating girls.”