The Post-2015 Agenda
Dr Marilyn Thomson
Guiding Research Questions
What are the limitations of the MDG framework in
terms of addressing GBV? What lessons can be drawn
from the MDG experience?
What are the key opportunities and obstacles to
ensuring GBV is addressed through a new framework?
What are the current debates in relation to effectively
and meaningfully addressing GBV post-2015?
What type of framework would be most suitable to
ensure that GBV is included?
The Millennium Development Goals
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
GOAL
1:
2:
3:
4:
5:
6:
7:
8:
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and empower women
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease
Ensure environmental sustainability
Develop a global partnership for development
Goal 3 - Promote Gender Equality and
Empower Women
Target:
Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education by
2005, and in all levels of education by 2015
Indicators:
• Ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary
education
• Ratio of literate females to males of 15-to-24-year-olds
• Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural
sector
• Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
Strategic priorities to achieve gender
equality and women’s empowerment
1. Strengthen opportunities for post- primary education for girls
while meeting commitments to universal primary education.
2. Guarantee sexual and reproductive health and rights.
3. Invest in infrastructure to reduce women’s and girls’ time
burdens.
4. Guarantee women’s and girls’ property and inheritance rights.
5. Eliminate gender inequality in employment by decreasing
women’s reliance on informal employment, closing gender gaps in
earnings, and reducing occupational segregation.
6. Increase women’s share of seats in national parliaments and local
governmental bodies.
7. Combat violence against girls and women.
UN Task Force
GBV – The Missing Dimension
Violence reinforces gender inequalities
Violence is a result of unequal power
relations
Violence restricts women’s ability to use
their capabilities and take advantage of
opportunities
Examples of gender based violence
One woman in four has been physically or sexually abused by her
intimate partner.
70 million - 140 million girls and women have undergone some form
of female genital mutilation/cutting( FGM/C).
Over 64 million young women 20–24 years old were married before
aged 18, the majority in South Asia.
At least 800,000 people are trafficked across borders every year:
79% are women and girls. Trafficked women and girls are often
raped, drugged, assaulted or threatened with violence.
The brutal murder of women solely because of their gender is on the
increase in many countries. In a backlash against the women’s
movement, women human rights defenders are increasingly being
targeted.
In the aftermath of conflict and during post-conflict transition
women and girls face particular challenges as a result of gender
based violence.
View from the front line
“In Pakistan there has been a limited
interpretation of the MDGs – even the specific
Goal 3 is restricted. Gender equality goes
beyond education and poverty and gender
roles are critical regarding women’s control of
land and the division of labour. Gender based
violence is very important in every sector.”
Ishrat Jabeen Programme Manager Trócaire, Pakistan
GBV – an obstacle to reach MDG3
Girls who are victims of violence are less
likely to attend and complete school.
Sexual harassment of school girls by
teachers, peers, and others can lead to
parents keeping their daughters out of
school.
Early marriage is a barrier to secondary
school progression for girls.
Proposed Core Dimensions in a new
post 2015 agenda
Inclusive social development
Environmental sustainability
Inclusive economic development
Peace and security
The UN Task Team
Recommendations for the Post 2015 Agenda
1: A framework based on human rights
2: A twin-track approach
3: Benchmarks and indicators
4: Increased gender analysis and disaggregation
of data
5: A global partnership for development
6: Ensuring that women’s voices are heard
1. Based on Human Rights
The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms
of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
The Beijing Platform for Action
UN Security Council Resolutions 1325, 1820,
1888 and 1889
2. A twin-track approach
A standalone gender equality domain
with targets on ending violence
Integrating a gender focus into other
development goals; including addressing
violence.
3. Benchmarks and Indicators on
different forms of violence
Killing of women by
intimate partners
Economic-emotionalpsychological violence
as part of intimate
partner violence
Female infanticide
Crimes committed
against women in the
name of “honour”
Dowry-related violence
Forced marriage
Sexual harassment
Conflict/crisis-related
violence against women
sexual exploitation
Trafficking
Femicide
4. Gender Analysis & Disaggregation of Data
National surveys should include all ethnic and
population groups, including migrant and
refugee women and girls
Data are disaggregated according to gender
and a range of characteristics such as:
ethnicity, age, disability, legal status and
location
A global partnership for development
Financial resources for women’s organisations
Increased support and funding for gender
based violence initiatives globally
Listening to women
Women’s empowerment
Engaging men and boys to end violence
Finance for Development
Gender budgeting: to identify spending
priorities for governments and track resource
allocation for GBV programs in the health,
education, welfare, and judiciary sectors
Increased funding should be made available
internationally for initiatives to tackle GBV,
especially prevention work, women’s
participation and advocacy activities
Empowering Women
“Women on the ground have to be at the
centre of a new framework, but often the
women who are affected by violence haven’t
been empowered enough to be engaged as
agents of change in the process. We need to
support and empower women on the ground
to get access to resources, access to justice
and services.”
Salome Mbugua, CEO AKIDWA, Ireland