Gender Inequality Biggest Human Rights Challenge: UN Chief António Guterres

United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called himself "a proud feminist" and lashed out at men who abuse power in the community, at an event at the UN headquarters in New York, on Friday, March 6.

"Gender inequality is the overwhelming injustice of our age and the biggest human rights challenge we face," said Guterres.

Stressing at the inevitability and significance of gender equality and women empowerment in a civilized society, the UN Chief said that men have used and abused power to control women and to prevent them from achieving their potential.

"Deep-rooted patriarchy and misogyny have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems, our corporations, our societies, and our culture," he opined.

Twenty-five years after 189 countries adopted a road map to achieve equality for women, a new report by UN Women says the reality is that millions of women still face poverty, discrimination, and violence, reported the Daily Herald.

In addition, a new U.N. Development Program index found that close to 90% of both men and women hold some sort of bias against women.

The index also highlights that about half the world's men and women believe men make better political leaders and over 40 per cent think men make better business executives and have greater rights to a job.

International Women's Day which is celebrated on March 8, is themed " I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women's Rights," this year.

The theme is in tune with the new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, also known as UN Women.

The campaign marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls, everywhere, reported The Vatican News.

He pointed out that high-profile peace agreements have been signed without any women at the table. Emergency healthcare meetings on the new coronavirus had few or no women in them.

"Generation Equality means equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls, now," Guterres stressed, adding that he is determined to achieve gender parity at all levels at the United Nations.

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