“Investing in women and girls is the surest way to improve the situation of all people”

Women’s rights are not a luxury item that can go unaddressed until the climate crisis is resolved or until the world ends poverty. The UN Secretary General insists on this António Guterres in his column, which was provided especially for Kommersant by the UN Information Center in Moscow. Mr. Guterres called for an end to the ongoing discrimination against women in science and technology, which is “the result of centuries of patriarchy and destructive stereotypes.”

All over the world, before our eyes, progress in the realization of women’s rights is becoming less visible. According to the latest projections, if current trends continue, it will take another 300 years to achieve full gender equality.

Today’s multiple crises, from the war in Ukraine to the climate emergency, affect women and girls first and foremost. And, as part of a global offensive against democratic gains, women’s rights to control their own bodies and make independent decisions about their lives are being questioned and denied.

Our failures can be very clearly judged by the following two statistics. Every ten minutes, a woman or girl is killed by a family member or intimate partner. And every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. Most of these deaths are completely preventable.

As we celebrate International Women’s Day, we must commit to doing more.

We must reverse these horrendous trends and advocate for the lives and rights of women and girls everywhere. These are one of my main priorities and one of the main activities of the United Nations around the world.

From South Sudan to Myanmar, we support women and girls in times of crisis and ensure that their voices are heard in peace processes. Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed recently visited Afghanistan and delivered a message to the authorities: Women and girls have basic human rights and we will never give up fighting for them.

This year’s International Women’s Day is dedicated to bridging the gender gap in science, technology and innovation. Globally, men are still 21% more likely than women to have access to the Internet, and in low-income countries the figure is over 50%.

At the same time, even the richest countries lose because of gender stereotypes and historical bias. The high-tech industries employ twice as many men as women. In industries related to artificial intelligence, this ratio is five to one.

Big data is the new gold mine and the foundation for political and business decision making in today’s world.

However, big data often ignores gender differences or completely turns a blind eye to women.

We should all be alarmed by the proliferation of products and services that are inherently gender-based and digitally perpetuate patriarchy and misogyny. The Silicon Valleys of our world should not become death valleys for women’s rights. Medical decisions based on data obtained from the characteristics of the male body can not only harm women, but also pose a mortal danger to them.

Discrimination against women in science and technology is the result of centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and destructive stereotypes. Since 1901, women have accounted for only 3% of the total number of Nobel Prize winners in scientific categories. At the same time, women who speak online, including academics and journalists, are often the target of hate speech and sexist slurs designed to embarrass and silence them.

But women cannot be silenced. Women and girls everywhere are demanding their rights, and their words are echoing around the world.

We need to act on multiple fronts to ensure that women and girls can make their full contribution to understanding the world through science and technology. We must break down barriers, from discriminatory data collection to stereotypes that prevent girls from studying science at an early age.

Policy makers of all kinds need to increase women’s participation and leadership in science and technology, using quotas if necessary. They must be creative in expanding recruitment opportunities and hiring staff with the right skills. However, they need to be persistent. Gender equality cannot emerge on its own – it is necessary to prioritize the tasks associated with it and achieve them. This approach is working at the United Nations, where we have our own strategy for achieving gender parity among staff.

We also need to take action to create a safe digital environment for women and hold accountable online abusers, as well as the owners of the digital platforms that allow them to do so.

The United Nations is working with governments, civil society, the private sector and others to develop a Code of Conduct designed to mitigate the potential harm from digital platforms and increase their accountability while ensuring freedom of expression.

Women’s rights are not a luxury item that can go unaddressed until we resolve the climate crisis, end poverty and create a better world.

Investing in women and girls is the surest way to improve the situation of all people, communities and countries, and to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Let’s work together to create a more inclusive, just and prosperous world for women and girls, men and boys, anywhere and everywhere.