More than 5,500 global leaders, advocates, experts and young people from 169 countries have gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the Fourth Women Deliver Conference; the global forum that provides the largest platform to discuss issues on the health, rights and well-being of girls and women.
The conference involves over 200 sessions and side events that will focus on solutions and how investments in health, rights, gender equality, education and economic empowerment can benefit the people.
The conference is the first major gathering of girls and women’s health and rights advocates since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) last year.
Joined by heads of state, the participants, including leaders from UN agencies, civil society, the private sector and academia, will for three days discuss the latest trends, innovations and research to drive solutions for girls and women around the world.
Importance
The Patron of the Women Deliver 2016 Conference, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, said girls and women were the key to building healthy, prosperous and sustainable societies and communities.
“And the evidence is sound – when we invest in girls and women, society as a whole benefits,” she stated.
The Prime Minister of Denmark, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, emphasised that the fight for equal gender opportunities was not just a women’s challenge but a joint responsibility.
“It is a fight for a better and more prosperous world,” he stated.
SDGs
In a panel discussion, the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, said issues of women’s health and rights were central to the achievement of the SDGs.
He said it was, therefore, time men realised they had to work in tandem with women and girls to achieve those goals.
The CEO of Women Deliver, Katja Iversen, said all the conference sessions would focus on solutions, having taken a gender lens to each of the SDG goals and how women could drive the change.
“It’s 2016: now is the time to turn the conversation from ‘if and why’ to ‘how and now,’” she emphasised.
Campaign
To accelerate progress for girls and women, Women Deliver launched a new campaign dubbed, ‘Deliver for Good,’ during the opening session that promoted 12 critical investments in girls and women.
The new advocacy platform brings together diverse organisations to show how a simple focus on investments in girls and women can be transformative for global development.
The campaign highlights evidence showing that when leaders make political, financial and programmatic investments in the health, rights and well-being of girls and women, there are big returns for countries striving to build more equitable, healthy, peaceful and productive societies.
“The Deliver for Good campaign will drive action toward what we know is true: investing in girls and women unlocks untapped potential and creates a ripple effect that benefits families, communities and entire nations,” said Katja Iversen.
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