Ensuring Women's Economic Sustainability

Dear Michelle Bachelet, UN Women Executive Director,

Much has been said, policies drafted, reports released and the fight is still on. A lot of progress has been made in terms of ensuring gender equality and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals but the road is still long and tough.
Looking at the situations from around the world women are still left behind and still carry the burden of life atrocities. Without getting to details and statistics, women remain at the bottom of the economic pyramid in almost all countries in the world. With climate change, global economic crisis and shrinking food and water supply, just to mention a few; women are being pushed off further to poverty more than men.
Without a means of income and economic stability, no person can access clean water, food, education, health care or housing. There are separate policies and strategies to address issues related to the afore mentioned social amenities but there is no specific mention on the reason for the difficulties in accessing them.
Violence against women in most communities is almost directly proportional to women's economic situation.
I urge you and the agency to look critically into ensuring that women are able to be self reliant in meeting their basic needs and improving their lives. I also hope that the new agency will apply an approach of long term empowerment as opposed to charity that breeds reliance and short term measures to important issues touching on women. Women's personal voices and suggestions should also be analyzed and put into considerations when putting into place any strategies intended to address their concerns. The agency should also make lots of efforts to engage with women at the lowest levels possible and not rely only on media reports and academic research to make their decisions on what to do for women.
As they say: Nothing going on with nothing, I say no women's empowerment can be achieved whatsoever if a woman cannot depend on herself for her living and that of those depending on her.
Thank you and all the best in the work ahead.
Edna Chepkurui-Kenya

As the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women officially begins its work this month, World Pulse is asking women worldwide: What is YOUR vision and recommendation for UN Women? We invite you to raise your voice by writing a letter to UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet outlining your recommendation for how this new UN agency can truly affect change on the ground to promote gender equality and uphold the rights and needs of women both on a local and global scale.
Learn more: http://www.worldpulse.com/pulsewire/programs/international-violence-agai...