22 September 2015: Representatives from the UN system, governments, the private sector and civil society discussed empowerment of women as part of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as women’s role in building peaceful, just and inclusive societies, at the 2015 Empowering Women and Sustainable Development Summit. The Summit was organized by the UN Development Programme in China (UNDP), the UN Sustainable Development Goals Fund (SDG-F), the Sino-American Friendship Association (SAFA), and the China Women Development Foundation (CWDF).

Convening in New York, US, on 22 September 2015, the Summit focused on the link between empowering women and sustainability, and the impact of public-private partnerships (PPPs) on women’s public welfare projects.

“Women and girls should be able to benefit from all policies for sustainable development,” said Oh Joon, President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), appealing to all nations to ensure that a gender perspective is “systematically incorporated into all national planning, budgeting and implementation.” Oh added that women need to fully participate in decisions “affecting their families, communities and countries,” and said ECOSOC will work through its substantive bodies, including the UN Commission of the Status of Women (CSW), to build an inclusive and engaging global partnership.

Tara Sharafudheen, UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), explained UNCDF’s investments in strategic PPPs that take the differentiated needs of men and women into consideration. She highlighted UNCDF’s track record in “investing in countries and projects where others do not, and then leveraging in larger sources of public and private capital.”

The Summit launched the Women in Sustainable Tourism Program as a partnership between CWDF, SDG-F and SAFA, as well as the Women’s Cultural Innovation Fund by CWDF and SAFA. CWDF also announced the donation of one million yuan (US$15,600) for the development of its women’s public welfare programs in Africa. [UN Press Release] [UNCDF Press Release]