WHY THIS CAMPAIGN

 

There is no time for delay if the world is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Only a joint effort will enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment - and thus contribute to achieving all the MDGs. Denmark’s Call to Action on MDG3 aims to accelerate progress.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment – MDG3 – is core to accelerating progress on all the MDGs. It simply pays off to invest in women.

There have been steady improvements in many of the world’s poorest countries with regard to women’s and girls’ education and health levels.

However, progress is badly off track on targets for economic empowerment of women. In low-income countries, women consistently lag behind men in formal labour force participation, access to credit, entrepreneurship rates, income levels and inheritance and ownership rights. It is bad economics to leave a large human resource stand untapped.

Action needs to be taken to correct the underlying causes that restrict women’s economic opportunities.

The basic premise is that increased investment in women provides support to economic growth and poverty reduction.

All countries have to engage in an effective and accelerated global partnership to promote the development agenda. The Paris Declaration on aid effectiveness provides important guidance in this respect.

There is need for a global Call to Action in 2008 – on the halfway mark towards 2015. The UN high level meeting on the MDGs in 2008 with the participation of heads of states and governments will be an important occasion to sharpen the global focus on development issues. 

Read more about why the Millennium Development Goals are not on track.

Read more about gender equality policy markers and
gender sensitive budgeting.