TRAINING/WORKSHOP: Sustainable Development Starts With Children, Youth & Women

Press Release-- UNICEF

Today, as Pacific countries gather to plan the “future we want,” UN agencies and partners from across the region are calling for children, youth and women to be at the heart of sustainable development.

A roundtable discussion to be held this afternoon will bring together representatives from government, development partners and children and women's groups to consider the human face of development in small island developing states.

For UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women and UNESCO, three key messages are paramount. First, the progress of children, youth and women is a major driver of sustainable development; second, children, youth and women are stakeholders in a sustainable world – the ones with the most to gain and the most to lose from success or failure; and finally children, youth and women can and should be major participants in and contributors to a healthy, sustainable planet.

“All discussions need to start with the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGS).” According to UNFPA's Representative Director a.i. for the Pacific, Dr Annette Robertson, “The Pacific has made great progress in reducing child and maternal deaths and expanding education for all, however, there are still gaps. There are still too many preventable maternal and neonatal deaths and too many Pacific families and youth who lack access to sexual and reproductive health.”

“The social pillars of health and education, investing in the people in SIDS, are essential for sustainable development,” said Dr Robertson.

With environment central to strategies and plans, UNICEF, is calling for greater attention to the resilience of children and women. ”Disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation needs to be for children and women and with them. In practice, this means social services adapted to reduce risk and active participation by vulnerable groups.”

For UNICEF's Chief of Policy and Advocacy, Ms. Samantha Cocco-Klein, “Resilience is also about economic shocks and protecting children and families from poverty.”

UN Women and their partners across the Pacific are calling for recognition that gender equality is the foundation of sustainable development. High rates of violence against women and girls, low political participation and barriers to economic empowerment mean that Pacific small island states are not benefiting from women's full potential.

Elzira Sagynbaeva, UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office Representative adds that, “This third international conference on Small Islands Developing States provides an opportunity to address gender equality as a development issue, and for Pacific Island States to re-instate their commitment to gender equality and women's empowerment. This is especially timely in light of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Declaration on Gender Equality, as well as progress in Samoa and Vanuatu regarding appropriate measures to promote women's political participation and women in Fiji participating in climate change adaptation by promoting solar energy.”

The call is being made on the eve of the Pacific preparatory meeting for the SIDS 2014 meeting. The meeting will consider priority issues for small island developing states for the post 2015 goals, and measure progress and gaps in the implementation of Barbados Plan of Action (BPA) and the Mauritius Strategy for Implementation (MSI).

The roundtable is supported by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).

The workshop is being held today (Tuesday 9 July 2013) in Nadi, Fiji from 3:00-5:00pm at the Radisson Blu.