ECLAC presents the challenges and opportunities for women’s autonomy and gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America and the Caribbean is facing cascading and interrelated crises at the international level in the areas of health, care, food, the cost of living, as well as the challenges posed by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic ( COVID-19) and global climate change. These crises have implications for the achievement of gender equality and the guarantee of the rights of women, adolescents and girls.

This was one of the reflections shared by Nicole Bidegain Ponte, Social Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Gender Affairs Division, during her speech at the colloquium entitled: The role of women in the transformation of Latin American societies. The event, organized by IRIS in collaboration with AFD, included two round tables: “The situation and condition of women in Latin America: between discrimination, violence, gender inequality and emancipatory struggles” and, last, “Proposals to transform Latin American societies”. The ambassador of Mexico in France and representative of the network of Latin American women diplomats in France, professors and university professors, the representative of the National Institute for Women of Mexico, and other authorities such as the former Minister of Solidarity and Health of France also participated.

Nicole Bidegain Ponte highlighted that, given the persistence of inequality in Latin America and the Caribbean, and its close link with the unsustainability of the dominant style of development, ECLAC has accompanied the governments of the region to support them in overcoming obstacles , both conceptual and public policies, which prevent the promotion of sustainable development based on gender equality and the autonomy of women.

In particular, the Social Affairs Officer pointed out that Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where, for more than 45 years, States have met at the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean with the purpose of to debate and adopt political commitments to advance towards guaranteeing the full autonomy and human rights of women and girls. Thus, the governments of the region have included a series of commitments on women’s autonomy and gender equality, the last of which is the Buenos Aires Commitment, adopted by the States of the region during the XV Meeting of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Nicole Bidegain Ponte stressed that the Buenos Aires Commitment is particularly important as a regional tool aimed at addressing the structural causes of gender inequality and promoting policies to deal with cascading crises in the short, medium and long term. In particular, she mentioned that it establishes fundamental regional agreements to achieve a transformative recovery with gender equality and oriented towards the sustainability of life and the planet.

In the context described by the Social Affairs Officer, it is essential to address setbacks in women’s rights and work towards a transformative recovery that respects equality. For this reason, Nicole Bidegain Ponte stressed the importance of governments promoting economic recovery by creating quality jobs for women in strategic sectors. It is also essential to invest in the care economy as a dynamic sector and move towards the care society. In addition, as it was the priority topic of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) in March of this year, and as governments around the world have reiterated in their conclusions, it is essential to ensure that the digital divide between women and men is bridged and that an inclusive digital transformation is initiated. Finally, it is impossible to work towards a transformative recovery without advancing towards a new fiscal pact for gender equality.

For more information:

Consult the recording of the colloquium organized by the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS) and the French Development Agency (AFD), entitled: The role of women in the transformation of Latin American societies on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Xb4aoPmVOWcpour.

Consult the presentation by Nicole Bidegain Ponte: “Challenges and opportunities for the empowerment of women and gender equality in Latin America and the Caribbean.”