Delegates from 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirmed their commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and to removing barriers to women's active participation in public and private life.
In an Outcome Statement, the region's governments also call for a specific target on gender equality in the post-2015 development agenda, and for mainstreaming gender and human rights in all the objectives, targets and indicators.
21 November 2014: Delegates from 21 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean reaffirmed their commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) and to removing barriers to women’s active participation in public and private life. In an Outcome Statement, the region’s governments also call for a specific target on gender equality in the post-2015 development agenda, and for mainstreaming gender and human rights in all the objectives, targets and indicators.
The human rights of women and girls are fundamental to eradicate poverty, achieve gender equality, peace and security and promote sustainable development, declares the Outcome Document. It recognizes the post-2015 development agenda as a strategic opportunity to address gender equality and empower women, and reaffirms the importance of gender statistics and indicators for tracking and monitoring progress. The Document also underscores the importance of adequate resources to develop and implement gender equality policies for post-2015.
The Outcome Statement further calls for the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), UN Women and the region’s governments to establish a technical working group to address gender-sensitive budgeting and financing.
UN Women and ECLAC hosted the Latin America and Caribbean Special Session on the BPfA, which took place in Santiago, Chile, on 18-19 November 2014. UN Women is working with the UN Regional Commissions to organize Beijing+20 reviews in each region. The resulting recommendations will contribute to the 20-year global review of the Platform’s implementation, taking place the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 59).
UN Women is also supporting civil society organizations in the region to prepare a common position document on the achievements and gaps in the implementation of the BPfA, to be completed by CSW 59. [UN Women Press Release] [Outcome Document (in Spanish)] [IISD RS Story on Asia-Pacific Review] [IISD RS Story on Europe Review] [IISD RS Story on Africa Review]