Gender Equality

This manual provides corporations and their suppliers with a deeper understanding of the barriers and challenges preventing women-owned businesses from accessing and fully participating in local and global values chains. It provides the tools and techniques for reducing or eliminating these barriers and for leveraging the vast untapped economic potential represented by women-owned businesses. For many women, entrepreneurship offers a path to economic empowerment and it is incumbent upon corporations to help create conditions that permit this.

This study is part of a series of UNCTAD publications that focus on upgrading and diversifying specific agricultural sectors of rural economies in developing countries with a view to raising living standards among of smallholder farmers in a context of sustainable development, female empowerment and food security. Malawi is a Least Developed Country (LDC) where 70 per cent of its population live below the international poverty line of US$1.90 per day. Tobacco has traditionally been its principal export earner, with maize as a subsistence crop. A decline in tobacco exports due to health concerns has made it imperative to identify other promising agricultural sectors as a means of increasing foreign exchange earnings to support development. In this context, the government has highlighted sunflower, groundnut and soybean as priority sectors. The three crops offer a range of practical advantages: in crop cultivation through intercropping which adds to soil fertility; in value addition, offering a potential to tap into markets of edible oils and livestock feed; and, in diversifying away from traditional crops such as tobacco and maize, it allows the country to reduce its exposure to market shocks and climate change. This study analyses the three sectors in terms of opportunities derived from exports of primary and processed products, within a context of regional integration and LDC preferential access to developed country markets. It provides detailed information on the current and evolving trading regime between Malawi and its close regional partners, with a focus on both formal and informal trade, given that the latter accounts for a significant proportion of the country’s overall trade and notably involves female traders.

La série des Rapports mondiaux a été conçue pour faire le suivi de la mise en œuvre de la Convention de l’UNESCO sur la protection et la promotion de la diversité des expressions culturelles (2005). Elle sert également à montrer comment ce processus contribue à la réalisation des Objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies à l’horizon 2030. Le Rapport mondial 2018 analyse les progrès accomplis dans la mise en œuvre de la Convention de 2005 depuis la publication du premier Rapport mondial en 2015. A partir des rapports périodiques quadriennaux soumis par les Parties à la Convention et de nouvelles analyses, ce Rapport examine comment la Convention de 2005 a inspiré des changements politiques aux niveaux mondial et national dans dix domaines clés de l’action politique. Il propose un ensemble de recommandations politiques pour le futur et met l’accent sur l’adaptation des politiques culturelles, fondées sur les droits de l’homme et les libertés fondamentales, afin de faire face aux transformations rapides suscitées par l’environnement numérique. Prises ensemble, les deux éditions du Rapport mondial offrent un ensemble de données et d’informations nouvelles et précieuses qui permettent d’éclairer l’élaboration des politiques culturelles et de placer la créativité au cœur du développement.

This publication includes the UNECE Policy for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In line with the UNECE’s mandate to mainstream gender in its work, and following the framework of the UN-SWAP, the publication looks at how ECE could further promote gender equality principles and strategies in its Sub-programmes of work through targeted gender priorities and actions.

This year’s report examines countries’ achievements and constraints in implementing the Cairo consensus, including efforts to improve the quality and reach of reproductive health programmes, promote women’s rights, improve maternal and child health and strengthen HIV prevention efforts. UNFPA’s report makes the case that mobilizing political will and increased funding by the international community is crucial if countries are to maintain and build on the gains of the past decade.

In 2010 the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) proposed a comprehensive development strategy entitled Time for equality: closing gaps, opening trails. This edition of Social Panorama looks at the links in the chain of inequalities identified in that strategy that concern the education and skills development stage of the life cycle. A substantial portion of this edition, then, deals with the youth and child population and considers how differences created and consolidated during this stage of life entrench the intergenerational reproduction of poverty and inequality. The focus is on the life cycle and on the reproduction of unequal opportunities for sustainable social mobility over an individual's lifetime. From this viewpoint, the document examines the situation of the population aged 0-29 and its internal dynamics, future prospects and ties to other age groups.

Prosecutors play a critical role in the criminal justice response to violence against women and girls. Prosecuting gender based violent crime can be challenging. Often there are a number of challenges, due to the private nature of the offence, and police investigation may be substandard. Victims may be uncooperative, withdraw or recant their complaints. Judges or juries may employ gender bias or common myths surrounding violence against women and girls when examining the credibility of the victim and the facts of the case. Drawing upon the updated Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (General Assembly resolution 65/228, annex), UNODC and UN Women have drafted the Handbook on Effective Prosecution Responses to Violence against Women and Girls. Recognizing that prosecutors work in different legal systems, it is meant to be a helpful resource for individual prosecutors and prosecution services.

Entrepreneurship is a key means through which women can both empower themselves and contribute to inclusive and sustainable development. A vital part of this agenda includes the 61.3 million women who own and operate businesses within the ten member States of ASEAN. It is the particular challenges and opportunities that the recently introduced ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) will bring to women entrepreneurs which provide the impetus and focus for this report. The measures set out in the AEC Blueprint 2025 are expected to affect the prospects for SME growth in various ways. This publication proposes critical actions that can be taken by ASEAN governments to address the particular constraints facing women entrepreneurs — in association with the finance sector, entrepreneur associations, international agencies, civil society and other key actors — towards the realization of both the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the AEC Blueprint 2025.

Digital marketplaces could drive sustainable and inclusive growth across South-East Asia, with e-commerce likely to grow to US$88 billion by 2025. Benefits will include opening of markets to facilitate sales and consumption, upgrading of traditional manufacturing and services, and development of new industries for business opportunities. While some countries have made significant inroads into e-commerce, the majority of developing countries are still trailing behind due to two categories of challenges. First, developing countries need to tackle obstacles to e-commerce, such as lack of access to information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, shortage of skills, and weak legal frameworks. Second, the current market concentration and competition frameworks are skewed against latecomers and smaller players, in particular those from less developed countries. TrainForTrade programme focuses on developing skills, knowledge and capacities through innovative development approaches based on a recognised pedagogical method and state-of-the-art technological solutions.

This book provides a transcription of the reports written by undercover agent Paul Kinsie for the League of Nations Special Body of Experts on Traffic in Women and Children in the mid-1920s. Between 1924 and 1926, a team travelled to more than a hundred cities in Europe, the Americas and the Mediterranean area to interview individuals involved in the regulation, repression, medical control, organization and practice of the sex trade. American undercover agents were included on the team to infiltrate the so-called ‘underworld’ and obtain ‘facts’ about the traffic. Among these, Kinsie was the most prolific. He visited more than forty cities and produced hundreds of reports in which his contacts with prostitutes, brothel owners, madams, pimps and procurers are described in detail. For a proper contextualization of the reports, scholars from around the world were asked to provide short introductions to the situation with regard to prostitution in each city that was visited. The book offers a unique source of information which is of great ethnographic value for people interested in the history of human trafficking and prostitution.

The 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals set the world on the path of sustainable development and give international trade an important role to play in this journey: “International trade is an engine for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, [which] contributes to the promotion of sustainable development” (Paragraph 68, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) How can international trade become a driving force for a development as sustainable as it is inclusive, ensuring that no one is left behind? How can it respond to the growing demand for production, exchange and consumption patterns that are both environmentally and socially sustainable, as well as economically profitable? To help developing countries build their capacity to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth through trade, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has examined ways for fostering green exports via the exploitation of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS). VSS are norms and standards to ensure that a product is produced, processed or transported sustainably in terms of, e.g. respect for human rights, decent working conditions, gender equality or environmental protection, with a view to achieving environmental, social and economic objectives. Certification is one of the many VSS tools used by producers and organic standard is the most widely applied VSS in the agricultural sector. To this end, UNCTAD has worked with three countries in the Asia-Pacific Region (Lao PDR, the Philippines and Vanuatu) and developed an approach, which is ready-to-use, streamlined and adaptable to local specificities.This portfolio presents the main outcomes of this development account project, including the approach and tools developed in its framework:• An introduction to green exports and VSS: opportunities and challenges for developing countries • UNCTAD's approach and tools to build countries' capacity to foster green exports through VSS • The country case study of Vanuatu • The country case study of the Philippines • The country case study of Lao People's Democratic Republic

This book provides a transcription of the reports written by undercover agent Paul Kinsie for the League of Nations Special Body of Experts on Traffic in Women and Children in the mid-1920s. Between 1924 and 1926, a team travelled to more than a hundred cities in Europe, the Americas and the Mediterranean area to interview individuals involved in the regulation, repression, medical control, organization and practice of the sex trade. American undercover agents were included on the team to infiltrate the so-called ‘underworld’ and obtain ‘facts’ about the traffic. Among these, Kinsie was the most prolific. He visited more than forty cities and produced hundreds of reports in which his contacts with prostitutes, brothel owners, madams, pimps and procurers are described in detail. For a proper contextualization of the reports, scholars from around the world were asked to provide short introductions to the situation with regard to prostitution in each city that was visited. The book offers a unique source of information which is of great ethnographic value for people interested in the history of human trafficking and prostitution.

This publication illustrates the 70+ year-long history of the Commission on the Status of Women, which through 62 sessions has consistently advocated for the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of women and enjoyment of their human rights, in an effort to realize the substantive equality of all women and girls, everywhere. In the era of the 2030 and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, and all States’ commitment to leave no one behind and reach those furthest behind first, the Commission has confirmed its leadership role in strengthening, deepening and expanding the global normative framework for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and monitoring agreed actions.

The newest edition of the UNFP flagship report offers a wide range of insights on the impact that teenage pregnancies can have on the health of young girls, their education and their lives. In this publication, a certain number of necessary recommendations are made, more precisely actions that governments, civil society and international organizations can take to address the underlying causes of adolescent pregnancy in various contexts around the world.

La planification familiale est un droit. On dénombre néanmoins dans les pays en développement 222 millions de femmes qui n’ont toujours pas accès à la contraception et qui se trouvent donc exposées aux risques de grossesses non planifiées. Le rapport sur l’État de la population mondiale 2012 explique pourquoi la planification mondiale est un droit et décrit les modalités selon lesquelles elle renforce d’autres droits tels que le droit à la santé et le droit à l’éducation. Il documente également les avantages économiques et sociaux qui échoient aux ménages, aux communautés et aux pays tout entiers lorsque les femmes, les hommes et les jeunes exercent leur droit à la planification familiale.

Hoy por hoy, ningún país —ni siquiera los que se consideran más ricos y desarrollados— puede describirse como una nación totalmente inclusiva en la que todas las personas disfrutan de igualdad de oportunidades y protección y ejercen plenamente sus derechos humanos. Entre los derechos humanos acordados internacionalmente, el derecho a la salud sexual y reproductiva desempeña un papel central para el bienestar humano. Este derecho fue ratificado por 179 Gobiernos en el Programa de Acción de la Conferencia Internacional sobre la Población y el Desarrollo (CIPD) de 1994. Conforme al Programa de Acción, los derechos individuales y la dignidad —incluidos la igualdad de derechos de las mujeres y las niñas, y el acceso universal a la salud y los derechos sexuales y reproductivos— son condición previa para el logro del desarrollo sostenible. Sin embargo, sigue habiendo numerosas brechas en el cumplimiento de los compromisos. Algunos de los peores casos se dan en las mujeres y niñas que ya padecen otras formas de exclusión —en especial la pobreza— En numerosos países en desarrollo, las mujeres pobres —con ingresos situados en el 20% más bajo de la escala— y, en especial, las que viven en zonas rurales, presentan muchas menos probabilidades de disfrutar de acceso a anticonceptivos o atención de salud durante el embarazo y el parto que las mujeres más ricas de las zonas urbanas.

L’état de la population mondiale est un rapport annuel publié par le Fonds des Nations Unies pour la population (FNUAP). Chaque édition couvre et analyse les évolutions et les tendances de la population mondiale et de la démographie et approfondit la recherche concernant les régions, les pays et des groupes de population spécifiques. Le rapport se penche également sur les défis particuliers auxquels ces groupes peuvent être confrontés.

The largest generation of adolescents in history —1.2 billion kids—is preparing to enter adulthood in a rapidly changing world. This State of World Population Report examines the challenges and risks this generation faces and their impact on adolescents’ physical, emotional, and mental well-being. The Report focuses on HIV/AIDS, incomplete education, early marriage and child bearing; it stresses the need for youth to have more access to knowledge, increased opportunities, and wider choices so as to lead healthy and productive lives and to contribute fully to their communities. A wealth of statistics, graphs, indicators, and thorough analyses are included in the Report.

The 30th edition of the World Investment Report looks at the prospects for foreign direct investment and international production during and beyond the global crisis triggered by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. The Report not only projects the immediate impact of the crisis on investment flows, but also assesses how it could affect a long-term structural transformation of international production. The theme chapter of the Report reviews the evolution of international production networks over the past three decades and examines the configuration of these networks today. It then projects likely course changes for the next decade due to the combined effects of the pandemic and pre-existing megatrends, including the new industrial revolution, the sustainability imperative and the retreat of laissez faire policies. The system of international production underpins the economic growth and development prospects of most countries around the world. Governments worldwide will need to adapt their investment and development strategies to a changing international production landscape. At the request of the UN General Assembly, the Report has added a dedicated section on investment in the Sustainable Development Goals, to review global progress and propose possible courses of action.

Attacking poverty directly has become an urgent global priority if we want to accelerate development and reduce inequality within and among nations. World leaders have agreed to launch a variety of new initiatives, including the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). 2002 State of the World Population report is a contribution to the discussion and a guide to action. It reviews poverty’s many dimensions and looks at several the key issues, including poverty and gender, poverty and health, and education and poverty. It also outlines a framework and provides recommendations to meet the poverty eradication goal by 2015.This publication includes analyses, recommendations, and a wealth of statistics, graphs, and indicators.

This study is part of a series of UNCTAD publications that focus on policies in three countries, Guatemala, Vanuatu and Malawi, aimed at upgrading and diversifying specific agricultural sectors of rural economies in developing countries with a view to raising living standards among small-scale farmers in a context of female empowerment and food security and above all, sustainable development. The study analyses three agricultural sectors in Guatemala – potato, cocoa and cardamom - in terms of opportunities derived from trade of primary and processed products. The focus is on the growing trend among consumers in high income countries for artisanal, fair-trade, organically grown, single-origin products that allow niche market penetration by integrating into their traded products a narrative on the history and lives of local farming communities where the primary product is cultivated. The study bears in mind the heavy costs to implement Voluntary Sustainable Standards, internationally-accepted certification systems, or consumer-driven specific standards set by retailers, looking at domestic sales opportunities, for example within Guatemala’s growing tourism sector, which also allows farmers to hedge against price fluctuations in international markets. According to the study’s sustainability analysis, the strategies presented are aligned with sustainable development goals, integrating environmental, social welfare, gender equality, a more equitable distribution of income, and, more diversified income opportunities. Outcomes are expected to be positive overall, but the study nevertheless advises care in implementation to minimise any unforeseen and potentially negative long-term impacts, for example on issues such as staple food production. It further cautions on possible perverse consequences whereby, without successfully integrating small-scale farmers in the product value-chain, the strategies’ principal beneficiaries may rather be intermediaries. This report concludes with a set of recommended sustainable development policies that take into account food security and the importance of agriculture not only for small-scale farmers but for Guatemala’s economy as a whole.