Asia-Pacific Regional Commemoration of International Women’s Day - Thailand

In 2000, world leaders adopted the Millennium Declaration, which sets out within a single framework the key challenges facing humanity at the threshold of the new millennium, outlines a response to these challenges, and establishes concrete measures for judging performance through a set of inter-related commitments on development, governance, peace, security and human rights. As a set of time-bound targets, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expire next year, translate these commitments into action and have informed international global action against poverty since their inception.

Inequality and discrimination based on gender is an impediment to the achievement of women's rights and was recognized in the Millennium Declaration as a significant factor undermining progress in many contexts. The MDGs have played an important role in increasing attention towards gender equality and women's empowerment, but progress has been slow. Despite important gains in areas such as girls' access to primary education, little headway has been made in addressing high levels of maternal mortality, women's access to decent work and women's and girls' access to safe, reliable and hygienic sanitation facilities. The MDGs have also been criticized for their failure to address structural impediments to gender equality and the achievement of women's rights.

On International Women's Day 2014, under the theme "Equality for Women is Progress for All", we are pleased to invite members of the press to attend an expert dialogue that will reflect on the impact of the MDGs on the achievement of women's rights and look towards the post-2015 framework on how to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in Asia and the Pacific.

As discussions continue about the shape of the post- 2015 development framework, what are the core catalytic factors for achieving gender equality, women's rights and women's empowerment? What obstacles remain and what crucial issues need to be addressed in a new development framework?

Opening Remarks by Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP Executive Secretary

A panel of experts on women's rights and international development will address these issues. Speakers include:-

Roberta Clarke, Regional Director of UN Women Asia and the Pacific and Representative in Thailand

Dr. Gita Sen, Founder and Executive Committee of the Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN), India

Sivananthi Thanenthiran, the Executive Director of the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), Malaysia

Sam Zarifi, Regional Director of The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Asia-Pacific

Moderator: Thin Lei Win, Thomson Reuters Foundation
Time: 10.00 am-12.00 pm (followed by refreshments)

For media inquiries, please contact:

Montira Narkvichien,
Regional Communications Specialist,
UN Women, +6681 6688900,
Email: [ Click to reveal ]

Katie Elles,
Public Information Officer, Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section Office of the Executive Secretary,
United Nations ESCAP; +66 94 815 2536;
Email: [ Click to reveal ]