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Women Major Group for integration of women’s rights and equality into SDGs & post2015

As part of the Women Major Group, Sascha Gabizon advocated for better improvements in equality at the UNEP GC 2013 in Nairobi

05.03.2013 |Sascha Gabizon

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Under the agenda that global goals should not be limiting, but should be relevant universally, the Woman Major Group (WMG) has drafted a position paper for the UNEP Governing council (UNEP GC) in Nairobi, February 2013.  

The WMG has identified and demonstrated the necessity of the inclusion of women’s rights and equality into the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Only with inclusion, the WMG’s three overarching goals can be achieved. Those are: achieving environmental sustainability, ending inequalities and poverty, and ending conflict and war, with economics as a means, but not an achieved goal in itself.

In detail, this means that women need to be included in more than the development-areas of energy, water, and food security. Women’s roles also need to be given more priority for cross-cutting topics such as social inclusion, rule of law and good governance, gender equality and women’s empowerment. Practices such as land-grabbing and resource-grabbing, exposing them to hazardous chemicals, or cutting women off safe drinking and waste water supply systems maintain structural violence against women. To effectively increase their livelihood, not only the availability of access for women, but also their participation in decision making has to be guaranteed. 

The WMG also discussed indicators to measure improvements towards the three main goals. One of the results was the measurement of gender-budgeting as a means to identify the level of gender-justice. Also, education and the keeping of human rights are reliable indicators.



It was also mentioned that the wheel does not have to be completely re-invented. The WMG reminded of already existing structures to enforce women’s rights and gender equality, such as UNEP GEO and the Universal Periodic Review.

Authors of the paper were women from the global South who have taken the lead in developing their views and priorities as basis, with input from the whole WMG. Download the draft for consultation with all Women Major Group members here.

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