Thursday 16 July 2015

International Women’s Day

women's day cocooning
 By: Sandi Saksena
Financial Counsellor
According to the United Nations website “International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of their countries and communities. This year’s theme, “Equality for women is progress for all” emphasizes how gender equality, empowerment of women, women’s full enjoyment of human rights and the eradication of poverty are essential to economic and social development. It also stresses the vital role of women as agents of development”

Violence against women is a major threat to social and economic development and was recognized in the Millennium Declaration of September2000, in which the General Assembly of the United Nations resolved “to combat all forms of violence against women and to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women” Such violence is intimately associated with complex social conditions such as poverty, lack of education, gender inequality, child mortality, maternal ill-health and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency What are the MDGs? The MDGs are currently the highest-level expression of the international community’s development priorities. They committed to an action agenda which emphasizes sustainable, human development as the key to fulfilling social and economic progress. All 191 Member States of the United Nations have pledged to achieve these goals by the year 2015 2015- Celebrations are getting fancier more of glitz glamour gala luncheons and dinners top sponsors, huge media coverage celebrities politicians awarded among much fan fare. Speeches replete with statistics accompanied by photos of emaciated women usually Asian or African perhaps a heart rendering video, acknowledgments awards and we all sit down to a gourmet meal fine wine and go home with a goody bag and most if not all the guests enjoy all this for free. Cost of this free meal which most of us can easily afford to pay for) anywhere from AED 500 ++. Sponsors dish out the big bucks so that they can attract the attention and the money of the HN attendees their target market. Hotels charge premium prices.