National Woman Leader of All Progressives Congress, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has advocated for gender mainstreaming, just as she observed that sustainable development is impossible without addressing the adversity women face across the globe.
She regretted that year after year, successive governments continue to pay lip service to issues of women empowerment and gender mainstreaming.
She stressed that from politics and governance to the family and economy, the challenges confronting women are as real as they are daunting.
Aliyu made this assertion in her message at the on-going conference in New York, as part of activities marking the 2018 International Women’s Day.
Co-host of the conference and President, Helpline Foundation for the Needy, Abuja, Dr. Jumai Ahmadu, in a press statement, yesterday, quoted the APC woman leader as also saying: “the time has come to actually do something about women empowerment and gender mainstreaming.”
The statement read in part: “… in less developed climes like Africa, majority are still grappling with basic necessities that our counterparts in the advanced world have since taken for granted.
“And therein lies the real connection between sustainable development and gender discrimination because our societies often feel that they have more important issues to address.
“However, the irony is that sustainable development is virtually impossible without frontally addressing marginalisation and adversity facing our women.
“From politics and governance to the family and economy, the challenges confronting our women are as real as they are daunting. Year after year we continue to pay lip service to issues of women empowerment and gender mainstreaming.”
Dr Aliyu further stated that: “The MDGs, and now the SDGs have provided a great vehicle for attaining sustainable development and by extension women empowerment. Unfortunately, the success stories have been rather too few and far between”.
The women leader therefore called on countries especially Africa governments to tap into the vast reservoir of socio-economic and cultural experiences and resources available to draw up interventions that will significantly close the gender gap.