United Nations (EFE).- The Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), António Guterres, denounced this Monday that “the patriarchy is counterattacking” to take away from women the rights won in recent decades, but warned that the UN is is fighting to keep them and keep advancing gender equality.
“Disinformation and misogynistic misinformation flourish on social media platforms. The so-called gender trolling has the specific objective of silencing women and removing them from public life. The stories may be false, but the damage caused is very real,” Guterres said at the start of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), which will take place between this Monday and March 17.
In his opening speech at the Congress, which this year will address gender differences in technology and innovation, the UN Secretary General also stressed that women and girls are being left behind in the technological race.
“Three billion people are still not connected to the Internet, but the majority of them are women and girls in developing countries. And in less developed countries, only 19% of women are online,” she said.
Likewise, Guterres pointed out that girls and women represent only a third of science, technology, engineering and mathematics students, and warned that the gender gap is even greater in the artificial intelligence sector where “only one in every five workers is a woman”.
“Centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and harmful stereotypes have created a huge gender gap in science and technology (…). Artificial intelligence is shaping our future worlds. Let’s hope he doesn’t do it with a gender bias,” she added.
A call for equality from the UN
In his presentation, before the different commissions discuss the state of the art, the advances and setbacks of women’s rights in the technological field, Guterres made an urgent call to empower women and improve their situation in the world of work , with an increase in their income level, and in education.
She also urged political leaders to promote “the full participation of women and girls in science and technology leadership, from governments to boardrooms and classrooms.”
The president of the Commission, Mathu Joyini, stressed for her part that “gender discrimination is a systemic problem” that has been integrated both in political, social and economic life, as well as in the technological sector.
“Digital technologies are rapidly transforming society, enabling unprecedented advances to improve the social and economic situation of women and girls, but also giving rise to profound new challenges that can perpetuate and deepen existing patterns of gender inequalities” he insisted.
Acts address women’s rights
The UN event is one of the most massive of all those held at the organization’s headquarters and brings together representatives of governments and public bodies as well as heads of feminist organizations from around the world.
On the government side, the participation of 181 governments is expected, with delegations led mostly by ministers, and it is expected that some heads of state and government will also be present.
On the part of civil society, some 8,700 people registered, of which more than half are expected to do so in person, Joyini explained at a press conference.
In parallel to the official meetings, some 180 events organized by Member States and more than 700 by civil society are expected to be held, with some 300 live and around 400 virtual, he explained.
