Addressing a crowd of more than sixty thousand people in New York’s Central Park, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland pledged the Commonwealth’s support to help countries “level the law” to end discrimination against women and girls.
At #GCFestival .@PScotlandCSG has committed to rallying behind our goal to #LevelTheLaw for girls and women! https://t.co/ggDAExNNlI
— Global Citizen (@GlblCtzn) September 25, 2016
Addressing a crowd of more than sixty thousand people in New York’s Central Park, Secretary-General Patricia Scotland pledged the Commonwealth’s support to help countries “level the law” to end discrimination against women and girls.
She was part of the Global Citizen Festival, an internationally prestigious event which is helping to deliver the UN's 17 sustainable development goals.
“Global citizens: over 63,000 of you have called on me - and the Commonwealth Secretariat - to say that countries should level the law for girls and women, and I hear you loud and clear,” she said, to rapturous applause at the event on Saturday.
“I am determined to achieve gender equality by strengthening legal frameworks and tackling sexist laws that hamper women’s opportunities – laws that really restrict their ability to own property, to open a bank account or have legal protection from abusive practices like child marriage and honour killing,” she said.
The Secretary-General told the crowd that she is committed to working with Commonwealth countries to address and reform gender discriminatory laws through a soon to be established Commonwealth Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform.
Announced in April 2016, the Office of Civil and Criminal Justice Reform will offer legal support services to all Commonwealth 53 member countries to craft model legislation and implement legal reforms using best practices.
Welcomed onto the stage by American science educator and television presenter Bill Nye, Secretary-General Scotland also reiterated a commitment made at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Malta in November 2015 to support global efforts to achieve a polio-free world.
Secretary-General Soctland addresses the crowd at #GlobalCitizenFestival speaking about the work of the #Commonwealth in health and gender pic.twitter.com/xuW5FsxxMO
— The Commonwealth (@commonwealthsec) September 24, 2016
“We can’t stop now,” she implored. “I encourage all Commonwealth countries to review their financial support in the polio programme so that we can end the disease for good.”
Now in its fifth year, the Global Citizen Festival was first held on 29 September 2012. The event is timed to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly. Partners include UNICEF, World Vision, Oxfam, the Malala Fund and the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.
This year the festival's curator, Coldplay's Chris Martin, was joined by, among others, singer Rihannah, actress Priyanka Chorpra and Grammy winning artist Kendrick Lamar.
Find out more: www.globalcitizen.org
