International Women’s Day 2020 – REMARKS by Rosalind Crowther, CD, South Sudan
International Women’s Day 2020 – REMARKS
Rosalind Crowther, CD, South Sudan 11/03/2020
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Gender, Honourable Angelina Teny, representatives of Government,
Donors, Women-Peace&Security WG, UNWOMEN, GBVSub-Cluster, WLOs, and Civil society,
Welcome and Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of CARE International.
A Special Thank you to the Government of Canada for supporting this event.
•Today we come together to mark International Women’s Day and seize the moment to advance
gender equality in South Sudan. The international theme for this year is “I am generation equality: realizing
women’s rights”.
o Gender equality means creating a conducive environment for women & girls so that they can enjoy
equal rights and opportunities, and
o CARE is committed to putting women & girls Front and Centre of all our programming in SS.
o Our mandate, ‘fighting Poverty, defending dignity’, compels us to promote gender equality and
rights, and to empower women & girls to achieve a more Inclusive future for South Sudan.
o We believe that investing in women & girls is not only the right thing to do, but it also has a positive
effect on the whole family, and on wider community resilience, development, and peace.
o Consequently, more flexible, accessible and long-term Funding is needed for local Women’s
Rights Organisations and networks who are best placed to ensure that South Sudanese women can
participate meaningfully and lead discussions with donors and decision-makers about how best to
support the work that they prioritize.
o With support from Canada and the US, CARE partners with local women-led organizations
to strengthen their capacity to jointly speak out, be heard and meaningfully engage in strategic spaces
for policy and decision-making.
o Since 2013, we have witnessed a steady rise in women’s leadership in the humanitarian sector, and
it is important we all re-affirm our commitment to gender equality in our own organizations and
institutions.
As CARE South Sudan we have set ourselves a target of at least 50% female staff, including women in leadership positions.
o We also have a duty to fight all forms of discrimination and harassment in the workplace
while promoting equal opportunities for all. We must proactively establish HR policies that boost
career development for South Sudanese women, and which address maternity leave and well-being.
o South Sudanese women and girls have experienced brutal acts of sexual violence in
unprecedented magnitude, perpetrated by armed actors. Chapter II of the Revitalised
Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic South Sudan demands an end
to all acts and forms of sexual and gender-based violence including sexual exploitation perpetrated by
armed actors: We call on all parties to respect this provision.
o Unfortunately, the signing of the September 2018 peace agreement has done little to alleviate the suffering
of women and girls who continue to experience multiple forms of violence and discrimination
in their daily lives, be it through forced and early marriages, denial of resources and education, domestic
violence at their households, or abduction.
o Yet, according to the Transitional Constitution, as amended, women shall be accorded full and
equal dignity of the person with men, and the right to participate equally.
o This year is the 20th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on
Women, Peace and Security, and we must redouble our efforts to uphold the rights of Women & Girls
in South Sudan.
o It is evident that women play a critical role in peacebuilding, and peace agreements tend to
last longer if women are included.
o South Sudanese women have struggled for years and are still going strong in bringing peace to the
country. It is a result of their continuous struggle that the nation has its first female Vice President,
Her Excellency, Mama Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior.
o While we celebrate this achievement, we want to stress on International Women’s Day’s national
theme “Each for equality: Implement 35% affirmative action for peace and development” and
highlight the critical role of women in building a peaceful, cohesive and prosperous South Sudan.
o Collectively, we must do much more to proactively support the empowerment of South
Sudanese women to take up decision-making and leadership roles, to act as role models and
encourage others. When South Sudanese women & girls are empowered, the whole country will
benefit.
Rosalind Crowther, CD, South Sudan 11/03/2020
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Gender, Honourable Angelina Teny, representatives of Government,
Donors, Women-Peace&Security WG, UNWOMEN, GBVSub-Cluster, WLOs, and Civil society,
Welcome and Thank you for the opportunity to speak on behalf of CARE International.
A Special Thank you to the Government of Canada for supporting this event.
•Today we come together to mark International Women’s Day and seize the moment to advance
gender equality in South Sudan. The international theme for this year is “I am generation equality: realizing
women’s rights”.
o Gender equality means creating a conducive environment for women & girls so that they can enjoy
equal rights and opportunities, and
o CARE is committed to putting women & girls Front and Centre of all our programming in SS.
o Our mandate, ‘fighting Poverty, defending dignity’, compels us to promote gender equality and
rights, and to empower women & girls to achieve a more Inclusive future for South Sudan.
o We believe that investing in women & girls is not only the right thing to do, but it also has a positive
effect on the whole family, and on wider community resilience, development, and peace.
o Consequently, more flexible, accessible and long-term Funding is needed for local Women’s
Rights Organisations and networks who are best placed to ensure that South Sudanese women can
participate meaningfully and lead discussions with donors and decision-makers about how best to
support the work that they prioritize.
o With support from Canada and the US, CARE partners with local women-led organizations
to strengthen their capacity to jointly speak out, be heard and meaningfully engage in strategic spaces
for policy and decision-making.
o Since 2013, we have witnessed a steady rise in women’s leadership in the humanitarian sector, and
it is important we all re-affirm our commitment to gender equality in our own organizations and
institutions.
As CARE South Sudan we have set ourselves a target of at least 50% female staff, including women in leadership positions.
o We also have a duty to fight all forms of discrimination and harassment in the workplace
while promoting equal opportunities for all. We must proactively establish HR policies that boost
career development for South Sudanese women, and which address maternity leave and well-being.
o South Sudanese women and girls have experienced brutal acts of sexual violence in
unprecedented magnitude, perpetrated by armed actors. Chapter II of the Revitalised
Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic South Sudan demands an end
to all acts and forms of sexual and gender-based violence including sexual exploitation perpetrated by
armed actors: We call on all parties to respect this provision.
o Unfortunately, the signing of the September 2018 peace agreement has done little to alleviate the suffering
of women and girls who continue to experience multiple forms of violence and discrimination
in their daily lives, be it through forced and early marriages, denial of resources and education, domestic
violence at their households, or abduction.
o Yet, according to the Transitional Constitution, as amended, women shall be accorded full and
equal dignity of the person with men, and the right to participate equally.
o This year is the 20th anniversary of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on
Women, Peace and Security, and we must redouble our efforts to uphold the rights of Women & Girls
in South Sudan.
o It is evident that women play a critical role in peacebuilding, and peace agreements tend to
last longer if women are included.
o South Sudanese women have struggled for years and are still going strong in bringing peace to the
country. It is a result of their continuous struggle that the nation has its first female Vice President,
Her Excellency, Mama Rebecca Nyandeng de Mabior.
o While we celebrate this achievement, we want to stress on International Women’s Day’s national
theme “Each for equality: Implement 35% affirmative action for peace and development” and
highlight the critical role of women in building a peaceful, cohesive and prosperous South Sudan.
o Collectively, we must do much more to proactively support the empowerment of South
Sudanese women to take up decision-making and leadership roles, to act as role models and
encourage others. When South Sudanese women & girls are empowered, the whole country will
benefit.
.JPG)
Comments
Post a Comment