United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says that full empowerment of women requires expanding economic opportunities and ending violence against them.
The Secretary-General spoke at a special event in New York on engaging philanthropy to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
He says that philanthropic foundations, the private sector and civil society are critical for advancing women's rights and noted that they are already helping transform the lives of women and societies around the world.
The Secretary-General says the global recession has shown once again that women and children often bear the brunt of economic downturns.
"Our bad economy inevitably results in more girls being pulled out of schools, fewer decent jobs for women, and higher rates of violence. And yet we know that violence against women undermines the development, generates instability, and sets back peace."
The Secretary-General is urging the private sector to exercise even more leadership for gender equality by empowering women at all levels of corporate responsibility.
He says the UN Development Fund for Women and the Global Compact will soon launch the women's empowerment principles and seven steps to empower women from the supply chain all the way to the Board Room.
To listen to sound bites, visit: http://www.unmultimedia.org/radio/english/detail/91229.html
