In a globalized world, national actions alone are not enough. It is necessary to address the transnational dimension of gender inequalities and correct asymmetries in the commercial, financial and technological spheres, through regional and international cooperation to advance towards gender equality and the guarantee of women’s rights.
This is one of the reflections shared by Nicole Bidegain Ponte, Social Affairs Officer of ECLAC’s Gender Affairs Division, during her presentation at the First Meeting of the Regional Conference on South-South Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Nicole Bidegain Ponte highlighted Latin America and the Caribbean as the only region in the world that, for more than 45 years, governments, the United Nations System, international organizations and civil society organizations, particularly women’s organizations and feminists and academia and the private sector meet at the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This subsidiary body of ECLAC has been key to promoting dialogue and multi-stakeholder cooperation, added the Social Affairs Officer.
In particular, Nicole Bidegain Ponte pointed out that in Latin America and the Caribbean a broad Regional Gender Agenda has been approved to promote women’s rights and gender equality that has a multi-scale approach, connecting the subnational, national, regional and international levels. to promote sustainable development and end gender inequalities both within and between countries. She highlighted that the Buenos Aires Commitment, approved by the governments of the region during the XV Meeting of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbeanis of particular interest since the governments agreed to recognize care as part of human rights, promote North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation programs that promote gender equality and the autonomy of women, and reaffirm the role role of non-governmental organizations, particularly women’s and feminist organizations and movements.
Nicole Bidegain Ponte stressed that, in order to accelerate the implementation of these commitments, it is crucial to consider the Montevideo Strategy for the Implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda in the Sustainable Development Framework by 2030. This Strategy, she said, focuses on the means of implementation , highlighting the vital role of cooperation as the main axis for the implementation of the agreements approved by the Member States of ECLAC. Nicole Bidegain Ponte stressed that, in order to achieve a transformative recovery, it is crucial to advance recovery plans with affirmative actions that promote comprehensive care systems, decent work, and the full participation of women in strategic sectors of the economy. These actions, agreed within the framework of the Buenos Aires Commitment, are aimed at achieving gender equality and the sustainability of life, representing a moment of transformational changes such as the one proposed by the care society.
For more information:
See the presentation by Nicole Bidegain Ponte: “Women’s autonomy and gender equality at the center of multi-stakeholder cooperation”.
