In commemoration of the celebration of International Women’s Day, the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, Chief Folashade Tinubu-Ojo, has stated that gender equality is a way to achieve sustainable development.
She made this known in a paper she presented recently when she was invited as a special guest at a symposium organised by Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife in Osun State to celebrate this year’s IWD.
According to her, to fully appreciate a sustainable development in Nigeria, it needs to be looked at through the prism of gender and the test case for this is the bias and how women are treated.
“Since the advent of women into the workforce, there has been an intense drive to attain gender equality, which is the equal ability for men and women to pursue opportunities without judgment or discrimination. The fifth sustainable goal set out by the United Nations is arguably one of the most important: the achievement of gender equality by 2030. This can only be done through the elimination of the root causes of discrimination that hinder women’s rights in both public and private spheres,” she submitted.
Chief Tinubu-Ojo believes that gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but a necessary foundation for a prosperous and sustainable world.
“Considering the relationship between gender equality and sustainable development, it is important to take note of the following steps in achieving gender equality; acknowledging women vital role forms the first step to creating gender equitable environment, give way to gender transformative leadership, talk to women and girls and raise aspirations of girls and their parents,” she said.
Other steps she mentioned included giving proper value to women and getting women into power.
“Evidence collected in this paper shows that gender equality is critical to achieving a wide range of objectives pertaining sustainable development, from promoting economic growth and labour productivity, to reducing poverty and enhancing human capital through health and education, attaining food security, addressing climate change impacts and strengthening resilience to disasters, and ensuring more peaceful and inclusive communities. Based on this evidence, the paper argues that accelerating the pace of advancing gender equality in all spheres of society leads to a more rapid increase in progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda,” Iyaloja General of Nigeria submitted.
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