Gender Equality and Paving the Way for Future Generations

Date: October 06, 2020

Two distinguished UN representatives, Bandana Rana and Melissa Alvarado, were invited to speak at the Asian Conference of Women’s Shelters. In this online event, they shared perspectives on how women could fight for gender equality through the help of CEDAW and the United Nations during the pandemic. Moreover, they discussed challenges during Covid-19, such as how the pandemic has affected health, economic empowerment, and education for women and children.

Bandana Rana, former chair of the Global Network of Women’s Shelters and current chair of the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders, shared her insights on how Covid-19 affected advocacy for gender equality. In her speech, she described challenges Covid-19 has brought to women and girls and how this has affected their health, economic empowerment, and education. Additionally, she discussed how CEDAW can help protect women and girls’ rights during the pandemic.

Melissa Alvarado, UN Women Regional Advisor on Ending Violence against Women, summarized UN Women’s declarations and key focuses, including economic empowerment, peace and safety, and the elimination of violence against women. She also talked about UN Women’s responses to the pandemic and her future prospects for gender equality. In their valuable speeches, both speakers called for global women’s solidarity during the pandemic.