Ban in Womens Day: Equality is not a dream

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that realizing human rights and equality is not a dream; it is a duty of Governments, the United Nations and every human being. Celebrating Womens Day, falling on March 8, Ban highlighted the importance of achieving equality for women and girls "not simply because it is a matter of fairness and fundamental human rights, but because progress in so many other areas depends on it." In a message on the occasion, Ban said "countries with more gender equality have better economic growth; companies with more women leaders perform better; peace agreements that include women are more durable and parliaments with more women enact more legislation on key social issues such as health, education, anti-discrimination and child support." In this context, Chairperson of Women's Affairs Committee of the Kuwaiti Cabinet, Sheikha Latifa Al-Fahad Al-Salem Al-Sabah, will be heading a high-level delegation to the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in the United Nations, to be held March 10 to 21 at the UN headquarters in New York, during which, an Arab report on developing a strategy for Arab women and assess progress towards the Millennium Development Goals in the Arab world, as well as empowerment of Arab women, will be presented. "This simple truth must be central as we work to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals by next years deadline and craft an agenda for the years beyond 2015. Important gains have been made in access to primary education for girls and political representation by women. But progress remains far too slow and uneven," Ban said.