“On this International Day of the Girl, let us recommit to supporting every girl to develop her skills, enter the workforce on equal terms and reach her full potential”—UN Secretary-General António Guterres
The UN celebrates the International Day of the Girl every October 11. This same day has now been observed as Taiwan Day of the Girl in the Republic of China (Taiwan) since 2013.
In 2014, as the era of the UN Millennium Development Goals drew to a close, the UN General Assembly met on September 14 to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the international community’s focus for the post-2015 development agenda, deciding that the Open Working Group’s outcome document would form the basis for integrating the SDGs into the future development agenda. Many people know that the 17 SDGs embrace important global issues such as health care, energy, environmental protection, and economic development. But how many people know that Goal 5 relates to gender equality and women’s empowerment?
Working under the supervision of the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has endeavored to promote gender equality and empower women for many years. From July 16 to 20, 2018, the Taiwanese government invited an international panel of experts to review its Third National Report on Taiwan’s Implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Comprising five internationally renowned experts who had served on the UN’s own CEDAW Committee for many years, the panel engaged in extensive and in-depth discussions with government officials, and conducted three meetings with 121 local NGOs, presenting its 73-point conclusions and recommendations at a press conference on July 20. These points—which addressed a range of issues concerning people’s daily lives and working environment, including the participation and representation of women in public, political, and economic decision-making; gender-based violence and victim support; the elimination of occupational segregation based on gender stereotypes; and the promotion of equal pay—will inform our efforts to promote global sustainable development over the next 15 years.
#Taiwan Day of the Girl
#Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
#Gender Equality
#Women’s Empowerment
#Third National Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
#Conclusions and Recommendations of the Review