Remarks for the UN Resident Coordinator for International Women’s Day 2018

Habari za Asubuhi,

Asalam Aleikhum,

Tumsifu Yesu Kristo!

Bwana Yesu Asifiwe!

Napenda kuwakaribisha katika tukio hili la kipekee, ambapo kwa mara ya kwanza kabisa, tunagonga kengele, kwa ajili ya usawa wa kijinsia, katika soko la hisa Dar es Salaam.

Kila mwaka, tarehe nane mwezi wa tatu, Umoja wa Mataifa husheherekea siku ya wanawake duniani, kwa kutambua

hatua muhimu zilizofikiwa katika harakati za haki za wanawake; na kuangalia Maendeleo yaliyopatikana katika kuleta usawa wa kijinsia.

Kwa bahati mbaya, kasi ya Maendeleo haya katika kumaliza tofauti za usawa wa kijinsia duniani, itachukua zaidi ya miaka mia moja kuzifikia. Hatuwezi kusubiri kwa muda wote huo. Lazima tufanye kazi pamoja, kumaliza tofauti hizi kwa haraka. Iwapo tumeahidi kutekeleza malengo ya dunia, na kuto-kuacha mtu yeyote nyuma, tunahitaji hatua za haraka kwenye usawa wa kijinsia, na kuwezesha wanawake, na hasa katika sekta binafsi.

Wakati ni sasa!

Wanawake Hoyeeeeee!

I would now like to take this opportunity to read an excerpt from the UN Secretary General’s statement on the occasion of International Women’s Day:

“We are at a pivotal moment for women’s rights. The historical and structural inequalities that have allowed oppression and discrimination to flourish are being exposed like never before…

Achieving gender equality and empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world.

…[S]erious obstacles remain if we are to address the historic power imbalances that underpin discrimination and exploitation.

… The global gender pay gap is 23 per cent, rising to 40 per cent in rural areas, and the unpaid work done by many women goes unrecognized.

…Where laws exist, they are often ignored, and women who pursue legal redress are doubted, denigrated and dismissed. We now know that sexual harassment and abuse have been thriving in workplaces, public spaces and private homes, in countries that pride themselves on their record of gender equality.

…

We at the United Nations stand with women around the world as they fight to overcome the injustices they face – whether they are rural women dealing with wage discrimination, urban women organizing for change, women refugees at risk of exploitation and abuse, or women who experience intersecting forms of discrimination: widows, indigenous women, women with disabilities and women who do not conform to gender norms.

Women’s empowerment is at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals means progress for all women, everywhere.

…Let me be clear: this is not a favour to women. Gender equality is a human rights issue, but it is also in all our interests: men and boys, women and girls. Gender inequality and discrimination against women harms us all.

There is ample evidence that investing in women is the most effective way to lift communities, companies, and even countries. Women’s participation makes peace agreements stronger, societies more resilient and economies more vigorous. Where women face discrimination, we often find practices and beliefs that are detrimental to all. Paternity leave, laws against domestic violence and equal pay legislation benefit everyone.

At this crucial moment for women’s rights, it is time for men to stand with women, listen to them and learn from them. Transparency and accountability are essential if women are to reach their full potential and lift all of us, in our communities, societies and economies.

I am proud to be part of this movement, and I hope it continues to resonate within the United Nations and around the world.”

END QUOTE

We all have a part to play in making sure women’s potential is given a chance to be realized. Girls, boys, men, women, religious leaders, government leaders, civil society and community agents...we all need to play our roles. We the UN want to support you in this critical work.

Naomba nimalizie kwa kusema

Tufanye ya wakati; wakati tuna wakati, kwani utafika wakati, tukitaka kufanya ya wakati,  wakati hakuna wakati.

Wakati ni huu, tuungane sote kupigania haki za wanawake Tanzania!

Asanteni Sana!