The Commonwealth Secretariat will hold a special meeting of ministers for gender and women’s affairs on 3 September to discuss ways to sustain progress on gender equality during COVID-19 disruptions.
The Commonwealth Secretariat will hold a special meeting of ministers for gender and women’s affairs on 3 September to discuss ways to sustain progress on gender equality during COVID-19 disruptions.
Ministers will share how their countries are responding to the impact of the pandemic on gender equality progress as well as on women and girls. They will explore measures to ensure gender roles and differences are considered equitably in recovery and rebuilding efforts.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women and girls. The harmful impact has deepened existing gender inequalities, widened economic divides and worsened social insecurity. For instance, distress calls to domestic violence helplines have increased between 25 and 300 per cent across the globe. Women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable relative to men’s jobs due to this crisis.
The meeting is a vital platform for member countries to share experiences and boost their responses in overcoming these challenges and safeguarding the progress made towards achieving the sustainable development goal for gender equality by 2030.
Margaret Kobia, Cabinet Secretary for Kenya’s Ministry of Public Service, Youth and Gender, will preside over the virtual meeting. Prof Kobia is the current chair for the Commonwealth Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting.
For further information, please contact the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Gender Section at [email protected].
