Women’s economic empowerment focus of OSCE discussion, participants call for equality in income distribution, access to health, education, jobs

VIENNA, 16 February 2020 – Women’s economic empowerment, through security, stability and sustainable development, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, was the focus of the first preparatory meeting of the 2021 OSCE Economic and Environmental Forum; which concluded today. 

Almost 200 experts, representatives of OSCE participating States, business and academic communities and civil society discussed policy and legislative measures that lead to women’s equal economic participation and opportunities. Such as, building women’s human capital, women’s equal participation in the labour market and women’s equal access to economic assets and financial goods and services.

”Gender equality must be central to all decision-making and resource allocation,” said Karin Strandås, State Secretary for Gender Equality at the Swedish Ministry for Employment, representing the OSCE Swedish 2021 Chairpersonship. Strandås underlined the importance of equal opportunities and conditions from a national standpoint: “A top priority for my Government, is that women and men shall have the same opportunities and conditions as regards paid work, which gives economic independence throughout life.”

Ambassador Ulrika Funered, Chairperson of the OSCE Permanent Council, said: “We know that gender equal societies, where human rights are fully enjoyed by all, are more secure with better prospects for sustainable, resilient, and prosperous development. Funered put emphasis on the importance of education. “The pipeline to women’s economic empowerment starts by ensuring access to quality education for girls. Better educated women not only secure brighter future for themselves, they can lift entire households out of poverty.”

The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender, Liliana Palihovici emphasized that the economic costs of gender gaps were as big as the potential gains from closing the gaps and stated that “Women’s economic empowerment and removing gender gaps at work should be at the center of national policies for achieving sustainable development.”

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid said that over the past year, many crucial challenges, including widespread and persistent inequality in economic opportunities for men and women, have been drifting out of focus. “Inequalities in income distribution, and in access to health, quality education and jobs, as well as a dramatic surge in violence against women and girls during the pandemic, has increased. It is absolutely clear that we have to stop this downward spiral now,” Schmid stated.

“Today we were often reminded that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is calling for urgency to turn OSCE commitments into actual policy-relevant actions,” said Vuk Žugić, Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. He added that despite international and OSCE commitments, as well as evidence-based analysis provided by the speakers, the need for greater gender equality still faces resistance. “Economic growth and innovation needs to go hand-in hand with equality and participation,” said Žugić.

The Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities continues to engage in an inclusive dialogue, supporting the efforts of the Swedish Chair in bridging positions towards multilateral engagement and broad-based actions.