By Grace Q. Bryant
The Chief Executive Officer of the Association for Life of Africa-Liberia (AFLA-Liberia), George Festus Blamo, says a country becomes prosperous and productive when women and girls are empowered with programs that enable them to earn incomes that will contribute to the economic growth and development of their country.
Executive Officer Blamo spoke at the CSW-68, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.
According to the Country Director, “This year’s CSW-68 celebration is critical because it focuses on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, strengthening institutions and financing in an effort to address poverty.”
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), is the UN’s largest annual gathering on gender equality and women’s empowerment, which takes place annually, and this year’s event runs from March 11-22, 2024, under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”
He stressed that there would have been no better time to voice the need to create a space for everyone to freely interact irrespective of gender and the quest to strengthen institutions financially, in an effort to eradicate poverty, than this time.
Director Blamoh furthered that the celebration comes at a time when the world is challenged by issues such as the marginalization of women and girls in institutions, lack of quality education, healthcare delivery, low economic empowerment, development, and the lack of basic social services.
“We had the great privilege to be at the United Nations CSW-68 sessions at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as we highlighted on accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective,” he added.
He maintained that the Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council, one of the principal organs of the United Nations, adding that the CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women.
He further explained that during the sessions, there was an opportunity to review the agreed conclusions of the 63rd session, “Social protection systems, access to public services and sustainable infrastructure for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.”
The AFLA-Liberia has the privilege to present a written statement at the sessions, stating, “I was able to emphasize in our written statement to the United Nations CSW-68 that society only becomes a better and safer place for everyone when the issues of poverty, gender equality, and empowerment target all genders, because neglecting women and girls will definitely make them vulnerable and subsequently place them in harm’s way.”
Director Blamo said when gender equality is not addressed, it leads to gender inequalities, and this opens corridors that allow poverty to permeate the society, emphasizing, “It is time for the world to put all hands on deck to develop long-lasting programs to minimize and get rid of gender inequalities.”
He noted, “In an effort to solve gender equality, women and girls should be given equality access to education, healthcare, decent work, and representation in the political and economic decision making-making process, as advanced by the UN.”
The Association for Life of Africa-Liberia is an accredited member of the United Nations Economic Social Council Organization, with special consultative status, and is also a Christian Non- Governmental Organization in Liberia that is reaching, rescuing, and restoring broken communities and lives, through various centers across Liberia by providing health care, counseling, ministry education, and social services, where lives are being saved and transformed.
