Experts Highlight Gender Equality As Key To Sustainable Development At GWFD 2024

At the third Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024, experts emphasised the need for policymakers worldwide to integrate gender equality into sustainable development plans. With six years remaining until the Vision 2030 milestone of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this approach is crucial. Hanan Ahli, Managing Director of the UAE’s Federal Competitiveness & Statistics Centre, highlighted the progress made in closing gender parity gaps during a session titled "Six Years to 2030: What has been Achieved?"

"A lot has been done and a lot more has to be done," stated Ahli, reflecting on the UAE's achievements. The country’s score in implementing SDG5, which focuses on gender equality and women's empowerment, is now at 83 percent. This figure underscores the UAE Government’s dedication to sustainable development and providing equal opportunities regardless of gender.

Rania Tarazi, Gender Team Leader at the UNDP, pointed out that globally, significant challenges remain in achieving gender equality. Women continue to face inherent biases and have not made substantial progress in fields like STEM, new technology, and energy transformation. These areas require focused efforts to ensure women can make meaningful contributions.

Safaa El-Kogali from The World Bank noted that while there has been notable progress in reducing extreme poverty—benefiting 80 million people—and increasing educational enrolment, some gains were lost due to the COVID pandemic. She stressed that collaboration is essential as no single country can achieve these goals alone.

El-Kogali also highlighted the importance of finding sustainable finance solutions by leveraging private sector resources for development. This approach is vital for addressing critical needs and ensuring continued progress towards gender equality and other sustainable development objectives.

Other participants included Prof. Eeva Furman from Finland's National Commission on Sustainable Development. The discussions underscored the importance of international cooperation and integrated strategies to overcome existing barriers and achieve gender parity globally.

The forum served as a platform for sharing insights and strategies to advance gender equality worldwide. It reinforced the idea that collective action is necessary to meet the ambitious targets set by Vision 2030.

With inputs from WAM