Open Working Group discusses promoting equality, including social equity, gender equality and women’s empowerment No 3

Interventions from the floor

Members of the Open Working Group (OWG) were appreciative of the introductory presentations and spoke on a number of issues related to inequalities. This report will focus specifically on issues related to gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

References were made to areas including women’s and girls economic and social empowerment; women’s participation in decision-making; equal access to education; reducing proportion of unpaid work; primary health care, maternal health; gender-based violence; effective monitoring mechanism; child, early and forced marriage; and the role of men.

Some members of the OWG called for a stand-alone goal on gender equality and to mainstreaming gender throughout the SDGs; others referred only to mainstreaming gender; others only highlighted the importance of gender equality without specifying how it should be included in the goals

Many interventions also called for the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights.

See attached list of positions of OWG members on a stand-alone gender equality goal, gender mainstreaming and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Individual interventions are available.