9 March 2015 — As women thrive, so will humanity but if girls are held back, the whole world will feel the pain, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned the high-level opening of the United Nations body tasked with the promotion of gender quality and the empowerment of women, which also saw the adoption of a political declaration reaffirming commitment to the outcome of the historic 1995 Beijing women’s conference.

"Women continue to suffer disproportionately from the economic crisis, from the impacts of climate change, from the displacement caused by conflict, persecution and so much else," Mr. Ban said in his remarks at the 59th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at Headquarters in New York this morning.

For the next two weeks, UN Member States, civil society organizations and UN entities will deliberate the implementation of the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This year’s session is particularly significant as it marks the 20th anniversary of that meeting which gave birth to the action plan that has become widely known as the blueprint for women’s empowerment, and focuses on 12 critical areas of concern, from women and the environment to ending violence against women.

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