Gender Equality as an Entitlement: An Assessment of the UN Women's Report on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development 2014

Citation:

Asher, Kiran, and Bimbika Sijapati Basnett. 2016. “Gender Equality as an Entitlement: An Assessment of the UN Women’s Report on Gender Equality and Sustainable Development 2014.” Development and Change 47 (4): 952–64.

Authors: Kiran Asher, Bimbika Sijapati Basnett

Abstract:

Concerns about gender equality and women’s empowerment are re-emerging as part of the post-2015 global development agenda, and addressing the is one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Every five years, the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (known since 2010 as UN Women), publishes a ‘World Survey on the Role of Women in Development’. These Surveys are presented to the Second Committee of the General Assembly and focus on specific development themes. The 2014 Survey focuses on gender equality and sustainable development and was commissioned to inform the SDG process. It makes a case for linking gender equality and sustainable development on the grounds that ‘causes and underlying drivers of unsustainability and of gender inequality are deeply interlocked’ (p. 11). Furthermore, it notes that: ‘women’s knowledge, agency and collective action are central to finding, demonstrating and building more economically, socially and environmentally sustainable pathways to manage local landscapes; adapt to climate change; produce and access food; and secure sustainable water, sanitation and water services’ (p. 13).

Topics: Development, Gender, Women, Gendered Power Relations, Gender Equality/Inequality, Post-Conflict, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Year: 2016