An international conference entitled “Women and the post-2015 development agenda – The Challenges of Sustainable Development Goals” got was held in Rome Friday. The May 22-24 event was jointly sponsored by the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, the World Union of Catholic Women’s Organizations and the World Women’s Alliance for Life and Family.
President of the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace, Cardinal Peter Turkson said 2015 was a crucial year for the international community concerning development issues and said the new Sustainable Development Goals to be approved in September have many important implications for women and their role in society.
Following on the heels of the U.N. Millennium Development goals which expire this year, the international community has proposed 17 new goals to achieve for sustainable development within the next fifteen years. One of the goals aims at achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls.
But conference organizer Flaminia Giovanelli, Under-Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, says women have much to contribute to the achievement of every goal on the list.
Some of those targets include ending poverty and hunger and achieving food security, ensuring healthy lives and equitable quality education, ensuring sustainable water management and sanitation, promoting inclusive economic growth and fostering innovation, making cities and towns safe and sustainable and taking action to protect the environment.
More than 100 delegates from across the world took part in the three day conference to discuss issues pertaining to women including modernity, the so-called gender theory, surrogate motherhood, education, inter-religious dialogue, old and new forms of slavery, poverty, violence and femicide.
Source: http://en.radiovaticana.va/
