During a dialogue with women civil society leaders in the UN General Assembly Hall on Monday, Secretary-General Ant贸nio Guterres heard about the critical need to make the internet safer for women and girls 鈥� and to ensure that they are equal participants in global conservations, both online and in-person.
The town hall with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) was held as part of the annual session of the UN Committee on the Status of Women (), which meets in New York every March. 听
Its latest two-week session - known as CSW67, which runs through Friday - is focused on the theme of innovation, technological change, and education in the digital age.听
Civil society also used the town to appeal for more action on other issues critical to women and girls, such as greater representation at the UN, ending the war in Ukraine, and eliminating all forms of gender-based violence.听
A male-dominated world听
In remarks prior to the dialogue, the Secretary-General spoke of the听backslide in women鈥檚 and girls鈥� rights globally听after years of incremental progress. 听
鈥淢any of the challenges we face today 鈥� from conflicts to climate chaos and the cost-of-living crisis 鈥� are the result of what is听a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture,听taking the key decisions that guide our world,鈥� he听said.听
Newfound discrimination听
Mr. Guterres noted that digital technology 鈥� the product of an industry that is predominantly male - represents a new source of discrimination and bias.听
鈥淩ather than presenting facts and addressing bias, technology based on incomplete data and badly-designed algorithms is听digitizing and amplifying sexism听鈥� with deadly consequences,鈥� he said.鈥�
鈥淢edical decisions based on data essentially from men can damage women鈥檚 health.鈥�疭afety features based on men鈥檚 bodies can put women鈥檚 lives at risk, namely in the car industry,鈥� he added, citing examples.听
The gender digital divide is fast becoming听the new face of gender inequality,听he continued. 听Online spaces are not safe for women and girls, as they have been attacked, targeted, or denigrated on the internet.听
Furthermore, 鈥渨hile 12 men have walked on the moon, not a single woman has done so,鈥� he said, pointing to听stereotypesthat 鈥減ush girls away from studying science, engineering, and math, and strangle the careers of women scientists.鈥澨�
Keep pushing forward听
Mr. Guterres said the situation must change, and in the face of the 鈥減atriarchal pushback鈥�, the international community听must push forward for鈥痺omen, girls and the world.鈥��
鈥淧olicymakers must create - and in some circumstances must reinforce to create - transformative change by听promoting women and girls鈥� equal rights and opportunities to learn; by dismantling barriers and smashing glass ceilings,鈥� he said.听
He also called for all leaders to urgently take up UN recommendations that promote education and training in digital skills for women and girls, as well as algorithms that align with human rights and gender equality, among other measures. 听
Punish cybercrime听
At the outset of the dialogue 鈥� which was moderated by Sima Bahous, Executive Director of听听鈥� the Secretary-General insisted that participants should not only ask him questions, but also offer comments, suggestions, and ideas. 听听
He interacted with them in groups of three, first listening to their interventions as a whole and then responding to the individual issues they raised.听
Houry Geudelekian, Chair of NGO CSW New York, was the first to speak. 听She stressed that countries must find a way to听hold perpetrators accountable听for online violence targeting women and girls. 听
鈥淐ybercrime should be punishable in the same way as any other crime,鈥� she said. 鈥淢ember States and the private sector have the power to reverse the regression in gender equality and uplift women and girls in all their diversity.鈥澨�
Speaking in her personal capacity, she also called for the international community to reduce military spending by five per cent and instead channel the funding towards sustainable development efforts.听
Young women demand change听
Prabhleen Tuteja, Executive Director of YP, the Youth Foundation, asked the Secretary-General about听greater representation of young women at the UN, particularly to ensure 鈥渇eminist, intersectional and inter-generational leadership鈥�.听
Meanwhile, Rania Harrara from Morocco reported that young leaders were 鈥減retty disappointed鈥� that the town hall was taking place at the same time as a dialogue for youth representatives. 听听
She highlighted other concerns around access to UN facilities, adding that many young people from the Global South听could not take part听in the conversation due to barriers such as lack of funding and visa issues. 听听
鈥淓quality and meaningful youth engagement is about digital access, digital literacy and digital safety for all adolescent girls in all of their diversity,鈥� she said. 鈥淎dolescent girls are tired of being tokenized, and we require to be part of the policymaking.鈥澨�
UN 鈥榬ejuvenation鈥櫶�
The Secretary-General said he was surprised to hear about these impediments as the instructions were to allow all attendees to enter the UN facilities.听
Regarding visas, he explained that they are issued by the host country, not the UN. However, he asked for examples of specific situations so that the matter could be raised with the US authorities to avoid the situation being repeated in the future.听
Addressing the wider issue of youth participation, Mr. Guterres noted that while the UN has a strategy on gender parity, it has yet to adopt one on 鈥渞ejuvenation鈥� of the Organization.听
鈥淲e need to have a younger UN,鈥澨齢e insisted. 鈥淵oung generations are better prepared than myself to look into, for instance, the impacts of digital technologies in the way governance takes place globally.鈥澨�
The Secretary-General also agreed with Ms. Geudelekian鈥檚 call for greater accountability for cyber attacks against women and girls, which he said is a matter that UN Member States听should seriously examine. 听
A plea on Ukraine听
One participant who said she represented Ukrainian women, gave emotional testimony about how the war has affected families in her homeland. 听
She reported that the independent delegation of Ukrainian women wrote to the Secretary-General last October requesting that he 鈥渋mmediately change the status of the United Nations鈥�.听
She underlined support for developing a new global mechanism to protect all countries from aggression, which drew applause from the room.听
Mr. Guterres recalled that the conflict has generated the biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War, with听women and children听comprising the majority of those听 fleeing Ukraine.听
鈥淲omen are indeed听suffering in a way that is totally disproportionate听in relation to this tragedy,鈥� he said.听
The Secretary-General upheld that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a violation of international law and the听, 鈥渟.鈥澨�
He also underlined the UN鈥檚 ongoing humanitarian action and support, including efforts to renew the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which is set to expire in a matter of days.听
