CAPE TOWN, Nov. 6 — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has urged world leaders, policymakers, and civil society to unite in defending and advancing the gains made in women’s empowerment and gender equality.
In his opening address at the International Women’s Forum (IWF) Global Cornerstone Conference in Cape Town on Thursday, Ramaphosa said the gathering “celebrates women’s leadership and advances empowerment and equality.”
Linking the conference to global challenges, Ramaphosa highlighted the first-ever Group of 20 (G20) Report on Global Inequality, released earlier this week, which found that in more unequal societies, fewer women complete higher education or serve in legislatures, and the gender pay gap is wider.
These findings, he said, underscore the urgency of placing women’s empowerment at the centre of the global agenda.
Referring to the G20 Ministers’ Meeting on Women’s Empowerment held last week, he stressed that “the recognition, reduction, and redistribution of unpaid care and domestic work is essential to addressing structural barriers to women’s empowerment.”
Ramaphosa described the IWF conference as “a platform to examine how women in leadership can not only respond to today’s challenges but anticipate the opportunities of tomorrow.”
“These discussions are especially timely in a world of shifting geopolitics, where multilateralism is tested and new forms of cooperation are urgently needed,” he added.
“There is a resurgence of resistance to the gains made on human rights and gender equality,” the South African president warned.
“There is a danger that the advancements made with respect to women’s empowerment, women’s rights, and gender equality may be unraveled.”
“My call to everyone here today is: let us work together to ensure there is no backsliding on the progress we have achieved so far.
Let us move forward with greater purpose and determination,” Ramaphosa added. The IWF, an international organization of over 8,400 accomplished women from 35 nations on six continents, aims to unite a global community of women leaders to advance women’s leadership.
About 500 women experts and leaders from 30 countries are expected to attend the Cape Town conference, which runs from Wednesday to Friday. (Xinhua)
