Every Woman Every Child at Davos World Economic Forum
A Better World for Women and Girls
UN Secretary-General and South Africa’s Archbishop Tutu speak for women and children
Women’s education "smartest global investment", Ban tells World Economic Forum
26 JANUARY 2012 | DAVOS - Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called today on business leaders attending the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to increase their investment in women’s education and health to ensure their well-being and encourage their participation in the world economy.
“Investing in the health of women and girls is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do for national economies and global stability,” Mr. Ban said at an event organized by the Every Woman Every Child initiative, a global effort launched in 2010 to mobilize and intensify global action to save the lives of 16 million women and children and improve the lives of millions more.
“The business community can help. Your partnership is crucial in preventing unnecessary suffering for women and girls everywhere,” Mr. Ban said, adding that despite recent progress, much remains to be done.
Investing in the health of women and girls is the right thing to do and the smart thing to do for national economies and global stability. Mr. Ban underscored the need to boost maternal health efforts so that women everywhere can give birth safely. “Last year, more than 300,000 women died giving birth. The vast majority of those deaths could have been prevented.”
The Secretary-General also stressed the need to provide education for girls so they can lead productive lives, contribute to the economy and start families when they decide to do so. He emphasized the role that the business community can play to help them succeed.
“The private sector is uniquely positioned to deliver a better life for women and children around the world” he said. “Telecommunication companies are harnessing their networks to bring mobile health solutions to women living in the countryside. Corporations are using their technological strengths to develop affordable healthcare equipment for remote areas. Pharmaceutical companies are making essential drugs available to those most in need.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu calls on women
Davos - After the uprisings in the Arab world, South Africa's veteran Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu said on Wednesday it was now time for women to have their revolution and banish men to the margins.
Speaking at a gathering of the world's political and financial elite in Davos, the vast majority of them men, Tutu said women had long been locked out of policy-making - and the world had paid the price.
“Let us re-align forces, let us ensure that women have a significant part in the decision-making process... We have been excluding women,” said the former archbishop of Cape Town. “What we need is a revolution led by women. I think women ought to be saying to us men: 'You have made a mess, just get out and let us in',” he added.