U.N. chief: Women and youth leading way

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says women and young people are at the center of social protest movements in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Countries that ignore them do so at their own peril, he said Thursday in a speech in Vienna. "Tahrir Square [in Cairo] and the fight for democracy throughout the Arab world, Occupy Wall Street, 'los indignados' in Puerta del Sol (Madrid), protests in Greece … What was the common thread? They were overwhelmingly women and young people," Ban said. "Women demanding equal opportunity and participation, young people worried about their future, fed up with corruption and speaking out for dignity and decent jobs. Their power and activism turned the tide of history." Ban also promoted the importance of women at a corporate level. "Studies have found that Fortune 500 companies with the highest number of women on the governing boards were far more profitable than those with the fewest number," he said. The U.N. chief said record unemployment rates for young people are a source of unrest in many countries. He said young people must be given a voice in their governments and programs must be created that address their priorities. Failing to do so could result in a "lost generation." "The priorities of young people should be just as prominent in our halls as they are on the streets and squares," Ban said. "Young people can be embraced as partners in shaping their societies, or they can be excluded and left to simmer in frustration and despair. A United Nations health organization Thursday called for the need to provide women with access to both hormonal contraceptives and condoms to prevent unwanted pregnancies and HIV infection. "While a range of contraceptives protect against unintended pregnancies, only condoms, male and female, provide dual protection by stopping HIV transmission and preventing unintended pregnancies," the U.N. Joint Program on HIV/AIDS said in a statement.