Launch of UN Women
Monday 16 March 2011
Theresa May's speech
Introduction
I’m delighted that so many of you are able to
be here today to celebrate the launch of UN Women.
I think it’s appropriate that we are at the Royal Society of
Arts – an organisation with a long history of supporting women’s
rights. Indeed, in 1872 the Society launched a campaign to improve
girls’ education, so that poor girls would not be denied the
opportunities afforded to more fortunate boys.
Nearly 150 years later, many countries around
the world have had women leaders – including of course the UK and
Chile – where our distinguished guest, Michelle Bachelet, was the
first woman to be elected President.
So it is clear that many countries have come
an awfully long way.
But it is equally clear that many other
countries still have an awfully long way to go.
Remaining Challenges
Women still face the greatest share of the
world’s development challenges.
Almost two thirds of those who cannot read or
write are women.
Less than 40% of those in paid employment are
women; women are paid less; and they have less secure jobs than
men.
And in conflict zones, and even more
disturbingly, often in their own homes, many women are still
subjected to systematic violence.
What the RSA realised in the 19th
century is equally true today – improving the lives of women and
girls is right economically, it’s right socially, and it’s right
morally.
In development, there are few better options
than investing in women.
In the Ivory Coast, for example, an increase
of just $10 in women’s income achieves the same nutritional and
health outcomes for children as an increase of $110 in men’s
income.
That is because women spend resources in ways
that benefit future generations.
And better educated girls and women earn more
and have healthier children.
Providing girls with an extra year of
schooling can increase their wages by 10-20%.
And in Africa, children of mothers who have
received 5 years of primary education are 40% more likely to live
beyond the age of 5.
Creation of UN Women
So that is why the UK has put girls and women
at the centre of our development efforts.
It’s why we have been such strong advocates of
concerted international action to support women.
And it’s why we have been such vocal
supporters of UN Women.
We worked hard to help establish the agency
and I want us to continue to work closely with UN women.
I see Michelle’s visit as a good opportunity
to discuss how exactly we can work together to improve the lives of
women and girls in this country and around the world.
I also see it as an opportunity to consider
how best we can engage with the many voluntary organisations and
charities that do such tremendous work for women and who I know
have lobbied hard for the creation of UN Women.
UK and UN Women’s
Priorities
It’s heartening that UN Women’s priorities
closely mirror our own domestic policy agenda and our priorities in
international development. They include economic empowerment,
political participation and preventing violence against women and
girls.
In the UK we have a comprehensive programme to
address each of these areas.
On the economic side, just this morning I
launched a consultation on modern workplaces.
This includes plans to increase the right to
request flexible working to all – helping to shift behaviour away
from the traditional nine to five model of work that can act as a
barrier to so many people and that often doesn’t make sense for
many modern businesses.
The consultation also includes plans for a new
system of flexible parental leave, which will allow parents to make
the right choices for their family. And it will help end the
state-endorsed stereotype of women doing the caring and men earning
the money when a couple start a family.
So if fathers want to take more of a role,
they can. If mothers want to return to work earlier, they can. If
parents want some time at home together at the birth of their child
they can. What matters is that they will have a choice.
On the political side, the UK has made great
strides. We now have more women MPs than ever before. We have more
women black and ethnic minority MPs than ever before. And we have
the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.
I know from the work I did to increase the
number of women candidates, that we can achieve change without
resorting to quotas or positive discrimination.
But even though we now have the most diverse
parliament in our history, it is clear that Britain still has a
long way to go.
Finally, tackling Violence Against Women and
Girls is a key priority for me and for this government.
That’s why in March we published an Action
Plan on tackling Violence Against Women and Girls.
It’s why we have provided over £28 million of
stable Home Office funding until 2015 for local specialist
services.
It’s why we have provided £900,000 until 2015
to support national helplines.
And it’s why we have implemented legislation
for multi-agency Domestic Homicide Reviews after every domestic
murder.
I know my Ministerial colleague at the Home
Office, Lynne Featherstone, will be engaging closely with UN Women
in her role as overseas champion for tackling violence against
women and girls.
Conclusion
The mandate of UN Women gives it the authority
to make a real difference. And it gives UN Women a real chance to
hold the international system to account.
But most of all, it was crucial that UN Women
had a strong leader, with the vision to make sure it has a real
impact. Michelle will be that leader.
I share Michelle’s vision for the agency.
We want to see UN Women getting things done on
the ground, with a clear focus on delivery of the Millennium
Development Goals.
It also has a key role to play in advocacy and
in ensuring the UN system delivers a more effective gender
response.
That is why we have provided transitional
funding to support Michelle and her team as they get started on
this important agenda.
We look forward to contributing to the funding
of UN Women's strategic plan once it has been adopted by the
Executive Board in the coming weeks.
As a government, we will support organisations
that can deliver results and make a real impact on people’s
lives.
UN Women can be that type of organisation.
Thank you.