Remarks by UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez on the occasion of International Women’s Day in Mwanza Region

Minister of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Hon. Ummy Mwalimu

Mwanza Regional Commissioner, Hon. John Mongella;

Ambassador of Sweden to Tanzania, H.E. Anders Sjöberg;

UN Women Representative, Ms. Hodan Addou;

Government Officials,

UN colleagues,

Members of the Press,

Happy Women’s Day!

Today is the climax of a week of activities that have been taking place around the country during this year’s national commemorations of International Women’s Day.

These activities brought together stakeholders who reflected on the important role women play in Tanzania’s developing economy and how to further empower them and enhance their participation in various sectors.

Women in Tanzania constitute nearly 52 per cent of the country’s population, and that justifies why it is important to continue implementing programs targeting their empowerment to enable their equal participation in social, economic and political sectors.  These programs also demonstrate that Tanzania is working towards empowering women and achieving gender equality women as called for in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Umoja wa Mataifa Tanzania tutaendelea kufanya kazi na serikali ya Jamuhuri ya Muungao wa Tanzania katika kuhakikisha kwamba wanawake wanashirikishwa katika Nyanja zote, sauti zao zinasikika na wanapata nafasi ya kushiriki katika uongozi na maamuzi mbalimbali.

Your Honor, I extend greetings from the UN Secretary-General António Guterres to Tanzania. Allow me to read his message for this year’s women’s day.

AND I QUOTE:

Gender equality and women’s rights are fundamental to global progress on peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. We can only re-establish trust in institutions, rebuild global solidarity and reap the benefits of diverse perspectives by challenging historic injustices and promoting the rights and dignity of all.

   

In recent decades, we have seen remarkable progress on women’s rights and leadership in some areas. But these gains are far from complete or consistent – and they have already sparked a troubling backlash from an entrenched patriarchy.

 

Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power. We live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture. Only when we see women’s rights as our common objective, a route to change that benefits everyone, will we begin to shift the balance.

 

Increasing the number of women decision-makers is fundamental. At the United Nations, I have made this a personal and urgent priority. We now have gender parity among those who lead our teams around the world, and the highest-ever numbers of women in senior management. We will continue to build on this progress.

 

But women still face major obstacles in accessing and exercising power. As the World Bank found, just six economies give women and men equal legal rights in areas that affect their work. And if current trends continue, it will take 170 years to close the economic gender gap.

 

Nationalist, populist and austerity agendas add to gender inequality with policies that curtail women’s rights and cut social services. In some countries, while homicide rates overall are decreasing, femicide rates are rising. In others we see a rollback of legal protection against domestic violence or female genital mutilation. We know women’s participation makes peace agreements more durable, but even governments that are vocal advocates fail to back their words with action. The use of sexual violence as a tactic in conflict continues to traumatize individuals and entire societies.

 

Against this backdrop, we need to redouble our efforts to protect and promote women’s rights, dignity and leadership. We must not give ground that has been won over decades and we must push for wholesale, rapid and radical change.

 

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, addresses infrastructure, systems and frameworks that have been constructed largely in line with a male-defined culture. We need to find innovative ways of reimagining and rebuilding our world so that it works for everyone. Women decision-makers in areas like urban design, transport and public services can increase women’s access, prevent harassment and violence, and improve everyone’s quality of life.

 

This applies equally to the digital future that is already upon us. Innovation and technology reflect the people who make them. The underrepresentation and lack of retention of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design should be a cause of concern to all.

 

Last month, in Ethiopia, I spent time with African Girls Can Code, an initiative that is helping to bridge the digital gender divide and train the tech leaders of tomorrow. I was delighted to see the energy and enthusiasm these girls brought to their projects. Programmes like this not only develop skills; they challenge stereotypes that limit girls’ ambitions and dreams.

 

On this International Women’s Day, let’s make sure women and girls can shape the policies, services and infrastructure that impact all our lives. And let’s support women and girls who are breaking down barriers to create a better world for everyone.

END OF QUOTE

Ladies and Gentlemen, we need a holistic approach to create an environment that will empower women to fully participate in the development of Tanzania. This calls for all actors to look at various underlying factors that are straining efforts to elevate women to a level where Tanzania will achieve gender equality by 2030.

Ensuring that girls are well-educated by keeping them in school is necessary to give them the best chance to fulfil their potential. We know that teenage pregnancies and early child marriage are major factors that lead girls to drop out of school and we need to prioritize preventing them from occurring.

We know that violence against women and girls curtails their development and in many instances they’re unable to access justice. As a result, we’re supporting initiatives on the mainland and in Zanzibar to support capacity development of the judiciary to be more survivor-friendly in how they handle and prosecute gender-based violence and other gender-related cases.

We are also working closely with the government to end harmful practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). FGM is a life-threatening practice that has a negative impact on the lives of thousands of Tanzania’s women.  It has a detrimental effect on their psychological, emotional and physical well-being, depriving them of their rights while denying them of their ability to reach their full potential. Associated with child marriage, FGM robs millions of young girls of their childhood, perpetuating the intergenerational cycle of poverty, and acting as a barrier to equitable, inclusive and sustainable development. It is internationally recognized as a human rights violation.

Therefore, to tackle FGM and other harmful practices, we need to continue developing strategies that can change mindsets, particularly of the key decision-makers in communities where this violence is taking place. Changing mindsets may take many years, but we should not give up on our girls considering we have access to evidence of good practices that have worked here in Tanzania and in other parts of the continent.

There is a lot we can all do to secure a bright future for every girl in Tanzania. This includes discussing further how to support girls who drop-out of school after falling pregnant.  Ensuring the presence of other pathways that support them to continue with their education, can help Tanzania to deal with some of the risks that girls normally face later in life.

In the same vein, Ladies and Gentlemen, our collective strategies should be well formulated and targeted to ensure some quick gains in areas such as education, health and nutrition, economic empowerment and access to justice.

As I am sure we are all aware, the Government is currently implementing the National Plan of Action to End Violence Against Women and Children (2018-2022). This plan aims to accelerate and improve efforts to strengthen women and children protection systems. As the UN, our support is focusing on operationalizing the coordination structures, ensuring budgetary commitments, as well as addressing the gaps that exist in the legislation and policies to end violence.

In Kigoma region for example, we are contributing to the implementation of the National Plan of Action through the Kigoma Joint Programme (KJP) and also focusing on the empowerment of women. This includes ensuring that young women can operate businesses, access finance and formalize their enterprises.

Your Honor, allow me to conclude by returning to the theme of ‘changing mindsets’. I have been a HeforShe champion for several years now and even just having this title has changed my mindset. Whether it’s in a meeting, during outreach or while visiting a project – I feel a responsibility to make sure that my actions are conducive to empowering women and girls.

Kwa kumalizia, ningpenda kutoa wito kwa wanaume na wavulana wote wa Kitanzania kubadili mfumo wa mawazo na mitazamo yao na kutambua kwamba ni wajibu wao kuwawezesha wanawake na wasichana wanaowazunguka katika Maisha yao. Jambo hili sio tu kwamba ni muhimu – bali pia litaleta maendeleao na ustawi kwa Tanzania.

Asanteni sana na Kila la Heri!