HELP WOMEN WEATHER ECONOMIC CRISIS, UN OFFICIAL TELLS ASIA-PACIFIC NATIONS

The top United Nations official in the Asia-Pacific region has called on countries to help women weather the ongoing economic crisis, including by promoting their interests as part of governmentstimulus packages.

Noeleen Heyzer urged members of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) bloc to seize the opportunity to build not just a new economic infrastructure but also a progressive one.

"We must make sure that growth is more inclusive and socially equitable," said Ms. Heyzer, the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

"This includes ensuring that women have access to opportunities to participate in national economic recovery and that they emerge from this crisis in a better position to participate in our region's bright economic future," she said in a keynote address to the 14th APEC Women Leaders Network (WLN) meeting in Bangkok.

The region's poor, particularly women, could face tough times ahead as countries in Asia and the Pacific seek to restart their economies in the aftermath of the global economic slowdown, she warned.

At the same time, she noted that the Asia-Pacific region has the second highest ratio of employed women of working age in the world at 49 per cent, even constituting the majority of low-skilled workers in labour-intensive manufacturing industries such as textiles and apparels, leather products and electronics.

However, the crisis has revealed a number of issues affecting women in the workplace, such as the trends toward outsourcing and subcontracting.

Research carried out by the Economic Commission shows that restricting women's access to work, education and health services comes at significant economic costs, totalling between $42 billion and $47 billion each year in losses to countries in Asia and the Pacific.

Ms. Heyzer noted that while fiscal stimulus packages containing large infrastructure and public works projects are one of the most effective ways to reach a wide range of unemployed workers without regard to skills, most of these jobs are in construction where 80 to 90 per cent of jobs are held by men.

One of the ways to create employment opportunities for women, she said, is to ensure funding for health, education and agricultural extension services, and investments in small- and medium-scale enterprises.

APEC members already had some of the most successful practices of social development and vibrant businesses in the world, she noted. "Let us build upon these successes. Releasing the full potential of women is not only good for women, it is also smart economics."
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NEW UN SCHEME TO HELP POOR COUNTRIES WEATHER ECONOMIC CRISIS, CLIMATE CHANGE

The United Nations is setting up a new system to mitigate the impact of the global economic crisis on poorer countries, such as those in the Pacific region that are already being hobbled by climate change, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.

"The full repercussions (of the economic crisis) have yet to be felt, but already we know we must do our utmost to prevent the unfavourable economic climate from undermining our efforts to fight climate change and achieve the Millennium Development Goals [that seek to slash poverty, hunger and a host of other social ills by 2015]," Mr. Ban said in a message read out to the 40th Pacific Leaders Forum in Cairns, Australia.

"For the Pacific, the downturn is likely to hit hard, limiting resources for development, leading to job losses and a decline in exports, and creating a risk of instability," he added in the message, delivered by Supachai Panitchpakdi, Secretary-General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

"As part of the UN system's wide-ranging response to the crisis, we are establishing a Global Impact and Vulnerability Alert System to better track the impact of the crisis – and thereby better respond."

Noting that climate change is at the top of the Forum's agenda, Mr. Ban called on participants to show "dynamic engagement" in sealing a deal at the international meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December which will strive to reach a far-reaching new pact on global warming 'greenhouse gas' emissions.

"Toward that end, I urge you to attend the climate summit that I will be convening next month in New York, and use that gathering to create the political momentum we need for an agreement," he said.

He pledged full cooperation with the region, including through the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, to address the negative consequences of climate change that are already being experienced, from extreme weather to environmental degradation. "Mitigation and adaptation must both be our urgent priorities," he declared.

Low-lying island States are already concerned about a potential rise in ocean levels while other nations in the region have suffered from torrential rain storms and flooding, as happened in Fiji at the beginning of 2009.
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ECONOMIC CRISIS ROLLING BACK ASIA’S DEVELOPMENT GAINS – UN OFFICIAL

The economic crisis is rolling back the significant progress made to date in Asia and the Pacific in meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 – according to a senior United Nations official.

Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said her organization has responded to the crisis by encouraging policies that include social programmes such as health coverage, pensions, education and agricultural extension services, as well as investment in small and medium scale enterprises.

"The huge scale of government spending in the pipeline in many countries offers an unprecedented opportunity to design development policies that will bring about more inclusive and sustainable development," Ms. Heyzer said during the course of the substantive session of the UN Economic and Social Council, which is currently taking place in Geneva.

"Pro-poor policies aimed at strengthening social protection systems not only create the social foundations for more inclusive societies, they free up spending of consumers. In other words social protection systems also make good economic sense."

She added that financial stimulus packages and reforms could help create a more integrated and coordinated Asia and the Pacific that builds upon collective regional strengths and resources.

In addition, she highlighted the need for appropriate investments in infrastructure to create economic corridors that link less developed countries to economic centres in the region, thereby increasing intra-regional trade.

As a result, the recovery of larger economies like China, India and the Republic of Korea will have "greater reciprocal positive spin offs" for their smaller neighbours.

Ms. Heyzer noted that ESCAP has sought to provide its member States with the necessary strategic analysis, policy options and technical assistance.

"Our flagship publication, the Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2009, provides a compelling analytical basis for the policy reforms that the region will need to collectively implement in response to the economic crisis," she said.

The report predicts that developing nations in the region will see their growth drop from 5.8 per cent last year to 3 per cent this year, with as many as 23 million people – particularly women in the manufacturing sector – potentially losing their jobs.

For its part, the Asian Development Bank estimates that the number of poor people in Asia and the Pacific could climb by 60 million in 2009 and approach 100 million by 2010, thwarting the region's achievement of the MDGs.
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ECONOMIC AND FOOD CRISES THREATEN RECENT DEVELOPMENT GAINS – UN REPORT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on rich and poor nations to boost efforts to fight poverty and hunger after a new United Nations report shows that recent advances are being threatened by the global economic and food crises.

The report, launched today in Geneva by Mr. Ban, warns that, despite many successes, overall progress has been too slow for most of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – the globally agreed targets to halve poverty, hunger and a host of other social and economic ills – to be achieved by the target date of 2015.

"This year's Millennium Development Goals Report delivers a message that should not surprise us but which we must take to heart: the current economic environment makes achieving the goals even more difficult," Mr. Ban told the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

The Secretary-General noted that higher food prices in 2008 have reversed the nearly two-decade trend in reducing hunger. In addition, momentum to reduce overall poverty in the developing world is slowing; tens of millions of people have been pushed into joblessness and greater vulnerability; and some countries stand to miss their poverty reduction goals.

Further, the target for eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education by 2005 has already been missed, he noted. Meanwhile, 1.4 billion people must gain access to improved sanitation by 2015 in order to achieve the sanitation target.

"We have been moving too slowly to meet our goals," said Mr. Ban. "Yet the report also shows that when we have the right policies, backed by adequate funding and strong political commitment, actions can yield impressive results."

The new publication, based on data from over 20 organizations both within and outside the UN system, is considered the most comprehensive global MDG assessment to date. It finds, among other things, that the number of people living on less than $1.25 a day decreased from 1.8 billion to 1.4 billion in the period from 1990 to 2005.

However, major gains in the fight against extreme poverty are likely to stall, indicators show, although data are not yet available to reveal the full impact of the recent economic downturn. In
2009, an estimated 55 million to 90 million more people will be living in extreme poverty than anticipated before the crisis.

At the same time, the Secretary-General noted that the report does show some progress. Fewer people today are dying of AIDS and many countries are implementing proven strategies to combat malaria and measles, two major killers of children.

"We are edging closer to universal primary education. We are well on our way to meeting the safe drinking water target," he said. "We can and must build on these foundations.

"In Africa and across the developing world, we have abundant evidence that aid can help transform lives. But delays in delivering aid, combined with the financial crisis and climate change, are slowing progress," he stated.

Mr. Ban recalled that the Group of Eight (G8) and Group of 20 (G20) nations have made specific commitments to increase financial and technical support to developing countries by 2010 to achieve the MDGs.

"Those commitments include raising annual aid flows to Africa, yet aid remains at least $20 billion below the Gleneagles targets," he noted. "I urge the G8 to set out, country by country, how donors will scale up aid to Africa over the next year."

The Secretary-General also urged donor countries to meet existing pledges on aid for trade, a crucial component in improving trade competitiveness of developing country producers and exporters.

Speaking at the World Trade Organization (WTO) Second Global Review on Aid for Trade, also in Geneva, he noted that the aid for trade initiative has made good progress in the three years since its launch. The April G20 Summit pledge of $250 billion for trade financing could lead to a significant increase in the $25 billion that aid for trade received in 2007.

However, the global financial and economic crisis has had a severe impact on demand, and it is now widely predicted that global trade will decline by 10 per cent this year, he added. "Unless the direction of the crisis is reversed soon, it will further unravel the progress that developing countries have made over the past two decades in reducing poverty."

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UN FINANCIAL SUMMIT ‘FIRST STEP’ ON NEW PATH TOWARDS SOLIDARITY – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

The high-level United Nations meeting on the global economic crisis has culminated in the approval of an outcome document that represents the first step in a long process of putting the world on a new path towards solidarity, stability and sustainability, the President of the General Assembly said today.

The Assembly – the "G-192" – has now been established as the central forum for the discussion of world financial and economic issues, Miguel D'Escoto said, as the UN Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and its Impact on Development wrapped up in New York.

"This in itself is a major achievement," stated the President, who was tasked with organizing the summit by Member States during the follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development, held in December 2008 in Doha, Qatar.

In addition, he said, the Assembly has been asked to follow up, through an ad hoc open-ended working group, on a number of issues such as crisis mitigation, the restructuring of the financial and economic system and architecture, external debt, and international trade.

At the same time, it has been recognized that the financial and economic crisis must not delay the necessary global response to climate change and environmental degradation through initiatives for building a 'green economy.'

"We are happy but not content, or rather, not completely satisfied," he stated, noting that other crises loom on the horizon, such as those related to food, clean water and energy.

"We must all join forces to confront these crises. The proposals we have adopted today point in this direction. But much remains to be done," he said.

The three-day meeting also featured several roundtable discussions on topics including the role of the UN in responding to the crisis and how to mitigate the impact of the downturn on development.

Addressing one of the round tables today, the head of the UN Development Programme noted that while developed countries have felt the impact, some severely, for the most part they have had tools at their disposal to address the crisis.

"Some expect a slow recovery towards the end of this year or in the first half of next year,"

"The turn-around for developing countries, however, may well take longer," she pointed out. "Many impacts of the crisis in developing countries, such as slowing growth rates, rising unemployment, and declining budgets are only now beginning to unfold."

Among the main worries is that the crisis will slow down the rate of progress towards meeting the anti-poverty targets world leaders have pledged to achieve by 2015, known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), or even reverse hard-won gains. "We must do all in our power to stop this happening," she urged.
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TOP UN OFFICIALS URGE CONTINUED AIDS FUNDING AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS

Top United Nations officials today urged countries to maintain and strengthen their commitments to tackle HIV and AIDS in the midst of the global economic downturn, warning that slashing resources now could mean greater costs and suffering in the future.

Addressing a meeting of the General Assembly convened to assess progress in the response to the global epidemic, its President, Miguel D'Escoto, noted that people living with HIV/AIDS have been placed at greater risk as a result of the global financial and economic crisis that is crippling economies around the world.

"As a result of this ongoing crisis, I fear that many governments are resigned to reducing programmes and diminished expectations," he told delegates. "But it is precisely when times are difficult that our true values and the sincerity of our commitment are most clearly evident.

"Even as we see signs of cutbacks in AIDS funding in many countries, we must remind governments and the international community that the world has the resources to mount the kind of AIDS response to which we have committed.

"If we allow cuts now, we will face increased costs and great human suffering in the future," he stated.

In 2006, the Assembly pledged to achieve universal access to comprehensive HIV prevention, treatment, care and support by 2010. A report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on progress on HIV/AIDS commitments shows that achieving national universal access targets by 2010 will require an estimated annual outlay of $25 billion within two years.

Mr. D'Escoto said that, as the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has pointed out, the amounts needed to achieve this goal represent "a miniscule fraction" of the sums that have been spent this year on economic stimulus measures.

The Secretary-General's report also highlights a number of encouraging developments such as countries establishing clear national targets for universal access, and a continued increase in financing for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries, reaching $13.7 billion in 2008.

At the same time, the report says considerable challenges remain, including significant access gaps for key HIV-related services. Also, the pace of new infections continues to outstrip the expansion of treatment programmes, and commitment to HIV prevention remains inadequate.

"Now is not the time to falter," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the meeting. "The economic crisis should not be an excuse to abandon commitments – it should be an impetus to make the right investments that will yield benefits for generations to come."

Mr. Ban said that a vigorous and effective response to the AIDS epidemic is integrally linked to meeting global commitments to reduce poverty, prevent hunger, lower childhood mortality, and protect the health and well being of women.

"But to achieve the goal of universal access, barriers to progress need to be overcome. Not just in battling the disease, but also in confronting obstacles that society puts in the way," he said, adding that the fight against AIDS also requires attacking "diseases of the human spirit – prejudice, discrimination, stigma."

He called on all governments to review their legal frameworks to ensure compliance with the human rights principles on which a sound AIDS response is based. "This is not solely a medical or scientific challenge. It is a moral challenge, too," he said.

Speaking to reporters after addressing the meeting, the Secretary-General discussed his own efforts to attack prejudice, discrimination and stigma. Among them, he said he met regularly with UN staff who lived with HIV and that he is pushing for all people living with HIV to participate in society without fear of discrimination.

He was joined by UNAIDS chief Michel Sidibé, who commended Mr. Ban's leadership in helping to break the "conspiracy of silence" on stigma, discrimination and criminalization against people living with HIV, particularly among vulnerable groups – homosexuals, sex workers and drug users.

He added that "time is running out," noting that the 2010 deadline for achieving universal access is right around the corner. "Unfortunately, we are far from reaching our goals."

Some 84 countries have reported that they have laws and policies that act as obstacles to effective HIV prevention, treatment, care and support for vulnerable populations, according to UNAIDS.

"Achieving universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support is a human rights imperative. It is essential that the global response to the AIDS epidemic is grounded in human rights and that discrimination and punitive laws against those most affected by HIV are removed," stated Mr. Sidibé.
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CURRENT GLOBAL CRISES DEEPENING HUNGER WORLDWIDE, WARNS UN AGENCY

CURRENT GLOBAL CRISES DEEPENING HUNGER WORLDWIDE, WARNS UN AGENCY
New York, May 28 2009 6:00PM
The current economic, food, energy and climate crises are deepening global hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme (<"http://www.wfp.org/">WFP) said today, urging greater efforts to help people improve their health and their lives.

"We are facing one crisis after another, one on top of the other, in recent years," Sheila Sisulu, WFP's Deputy Executive Director for Hunger Solutions, told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York. "The effects of these crises are disproportionately affecting the poorest and most vulnerable – those who are least responsible for the crises."

Ms. Sisulu said that not only have the numbers of people suffering from malnutrition increased due to the multiple crises but the effects on those who were already hungry and suffering from micronutrient deficiencies have been significant.

"The crises have broadened and deepened the extent of hunger and malnutrition in the world," she said, adding that hunger "wrecks people's lives [and] their health."

She also noted that hunger also reduces productivity and diminishes the capacity to learn, and that the effects are often irreversible, especially when they affect the very young.

"We have an absolute crucial window of opportunity during pregnancy and the first 24 months of a child's life to prevent stunting," she said. "Stunted at two years of age, means stunted for life, with large long-term consequences in terms of health, education and productivity."

Ms. Sisulu called for urgent action to fund safety net programmes that focus on providing food with the right nutrients to all children in need, especially children under two.

She pointed to a joint WFP and UN Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean (<"http://www.eclac.org/default.asp?idioma=IN">ECLAC) study which highlighted that the cost of hunger is estimated in some countries to be as high as 11 per cent of gross domestic product.

"The impact of the current crises on hunger and malnutrition is big. The cost of hunger and malnutrition is as big. But the good news is that the benefits of fighting hunger and malnutrition can be even bigger provided we do it at the right time," she said.

To fight hunger and malnutrition, an expert panel of economists, including five Nobel Laureates, ranked vitamin A and zinc supplementation for children as the very best investment in development and placed micronutrient fortification highly.

Ms. Sisulu said researchers have "found that an annual investment of $60 million in vitamin A and zinc supplementation combined would yield benefits of more than $1 billion per year."

Investing $1.2 billion a year in micronutrient programming over five years would "yield benefits of $15.3 billion, representing better health, fewer deaths and increased future earnings," she added.

With its range of programmes and expertise, she said that WFP is well positioned to help deliver some of these benefits.

She highlighted the agency's initiatives, including cash and voucher transfers; risk-reduction instruments; home-grown school feeding programmes; nutritious food products to more effectively prevent and treat different types of malnutrition among different populations; and the Purchase for Progress programme which aims at increasing the development impact of WFP's $1.1 billion worth of food procurement.

The WFP official also underscored the success of Plumpy'Nut, a paste based on peanuts, oil, sugar, milk powder, vitamins and minerals, stressing that it has shown "remarkable results" for severe acute malnutrition among children.
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UPCOMING UN ECONOMIC SUMMIT ‘TIMELY AND HISTORIC’ – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT

UPCOMING UN ECONOMIC SUMMIT 'TIMELY AND HISTORIC' – ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT
New York, May 8 2009 4:00PM
The upcoming United Nations meeting to tackle the global financial crisis is both "timely and historic," the President of the General Assembly said, urging all States to participate at the highest level and to support the draft outcome document that he presented today.

"The participation of all Member States at the highest level is indispensable for the transcendental gathering to achieve its full potential," Miguel D'Escoto told the 192-member Assembly. "I earnestly believe that this is an opportunity the world cannot afford not to take advantage of."

Mr. D'Escoto is tasked with organizing the UN High-Level Conference on the World Financial and Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Development, which was called for by participants at a financing for development meeting held in Qatar in late 2008.

He emphasized that the outcome document that leaders will adopt at the end of the 1-3 June meeting must reflect the aspirations of the Member States. "In particular, it must speak to the hundreds of millions across the globe who have no other forum in which they can express their unique and often divergent perspectives."

Presenting the draft outcome document to the Assembly, Mr. D'Escoto said he tried his best to reflect the concerns and expectations expressed to him by the government officials he met with in recent weeks as he travelled to different countries.

"This draft outcome document may be the only document that the heads of State and government may see prior to coming to the June meeting," he later told a news conference.

"This is the document that will make it or break it," he said, noting that the text will be the basis on which leaders will decide whether to take the June meeting seriously or to cast it as just another kind of "international charade" that will come to nothing.

"I am hopeful that we will be instrumental in bringing tranquillity to the world that is in the midst of much anxiety caused by many converging crises, but mainly by the financial and economic turmoil."
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ECONOMIC CRISIS COULD TRIGGER POLITICAL INSTABILITY, SOCIAL UNREST, WARNS BAN

As the economic crisis engulfing the world continues to intensify, it could potentially herald political instability and social unrest, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for a four-pronged strategy to prevent the onset of new catastrophes.

The financial turmoil cannot roll back gains made towards achieving the global anti-poverty targets with a 2015 deadline known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Mr. Ban told reporters in New York, following a meeting with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, ahead of the so-called Group of 20 (G-20) meeting next week in London.

"Social recovery will take much longer than economic recovery," he said. "A child taken out of school today will bear the consequences for the rest of his or her life."

The Secretary-General said he outlined a four-point proposal for the G-20 nations – which he has also relayed in a letter to their leaders – during his talks with Mr. Brown.

Firstly, in addition to their own stimulus packages, G-20 nations should commit to support a global stimulus plan, which must be "of a very substantial size, commensurate with the challenge," Mr. Ban said. This package must include assistance for the poorest and most vulnerable countries, long-term public lending from development banks and cash aid to both least-developed and middle-income developing countries.

He also stressed the need to firmly reject protectionism and revive the Doha round of trade liberalization negotiations to allow real benefits to reach developing nations.

Another element of his plan is the 'greening' of the global economy, including in poorer countries, with G-20 leaders committing to conclude negotiations and reach agreement on an ambitious successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol, whose first commitment period ends in 2012, in Copenhagen this December.

Lastly, the Secretary-General highlighted the importance of reforming "global rules and institutions so that they reflect today's economic and political landscape."

He voiced hope that the upcoming G-20 "Summit for Stability, Growth and Jobs" can send a "signal of solidarity and hope to all peoples and countries of the world."

The 2 April gathering in London will be one of several stops on a nearly two-week trip that will also take Mr. Ban to Russia, Qatar, the Netherlands, France and Turkey.
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ECONOMIC CRISIS POSES DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR FORESTS, WARNS NEW UN REPORT

ECONOMIC CRISIS POSES DIRE CONSEQUENCES FOR FORESTS, WARNS NEW UN REPORT
New York, Mar 16 2009 12:00PM

The global economic turmoil has resulted in reduced demand for wood, shrinking investments in industries and forest management, according to this year's United Nations "State of the World's Forests" report.

The double challenges posed by the financial crisis and climate change are highlighting the need for bolstered forest management and stepped-up investments in science and technology, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) publication said, voicing concern that the economic downturn could lead governments to water down ambitious 'green' targets.

Countries in the early stages of development – which suffer from institutional weaknesses – struggle with forestry decisions, facing the difficult choice between short-term and long-term benefits.

In the coming decades, the report said, demand worldwide for wood products and environmental services will increase, with the use of wood as a source of energy on the rise, although this could be attributed to the recent economic downturn.

It also stated that there is a possibility that countries may focus their energies on reversing the economic downturn, diluting their green goals and putting off decisions on climate change mitigation and adaptation, including actions on slashing emissions from deforestation.

The report pointed to opportunities stemming from the financial turmoil, such as green development to spur tree-planting and increased investments in sustainable forest management.

In a related development, this year's first round of UN climate change negotiations is gearing up to kick off later this month in Bonn, Germany.

These negotiations are expected to wrap up in December in Copenhagen, Denmark, with countries agreeing on an effective successor pact to the Kyoto Protocol on greenhouse gases whose first commitment period ends in 2012.

The two-week Bonn gathering is expected to draw over 2,000 participants, including representatives from governments, business, industry, environmental organizations and research facilities.

"The road to Copenhagen is under intensive construction and all its builders are seriously committed to its successful completion," said Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNCFCC). "Real negotiating mode is just beginning and with only around six weeks of actual face-to-face talking time, the Copenhagen clock keeps steadily ticking down."
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NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED WOMEN TO SOAR AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, WARNS UN AGENCY

NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED WOMEN TO SOAR AMID ECONOMIC CRISIS, WARNS UN AGENCY
New York, Mar 5 2009 6:00PM

The global economic crisis will plunge a further 22 million women into unemployment and make decent work for women increasingly more difficult to find in 2009, predicted a new United Nations report issued today.

The International Labour Office (ILO) launched its annual Global Employment Trends for Women (GET) report in advance of International Women's Day on 8 March, calling for "creative solutions" to close the gender gap.

"Gender inequality in the world of work has long been with us, but it is likely that it will be exacerbated by the crisis," warned the agency's Director-General Juan Somavia.

"In times of economic upheaval, women often experience the negative consequences more rapidly and are slower to enjoy the benefits of recovery," he said, adding that "before the crisis, the majority of working women were in the informal economy with lower earnings and less social protection."

The GET report noted that of the 3 billion employed people across the world, slightly over a 40 per cent are women, and that the global unemployment rate for women could reach 7.4 per cent in 2009, compared to 7 per cent for men.

The biggest difference in unemployment rates between men and women due to the economic meltdown will be felt by women in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the ILO report.

The new publication also projected that the ratio of women pushed into insecure jobs this year would be greater than men, with the global vulnerability employment rate ranging from 50.5 to 54.7 per cent for women and 47.2 to 51.8 per cent for men.

"Women's lower employment rates, weaker control over property and resources, concentration in informal and vulnerable forms of employment with lower earnings, and less social protection, all place women in a weaker position than men to weather the crises," said Jane Hodges, ILO Bureau for Gender Equality Director.
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AFRICAN WOMEN BEAR BRUNT OF GLOBAL CRISES, WARN DELEGATES AT UN CONFERENCE

AFRICAN WOMEN BEAR BRUNT OF GLOBAL CRISES, WARN DELEGATES AT UN CONFERENCE
New York, Mar 4 2009 6:00PM

The global economic, food and climate change crises have hit African women the hardest, a delegation of African and United Nations female officials attending a conference on gender equality cautioned today.

"When we look at the GDPs of all African countries, they are between five and seven per cent [in the recent past] … but this present crisis is going to erode all those gains that have been made," Isatou Njie Saidy, Vice-President of Gambia, told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.

She pointed to the reduction in remittances to developing countries, the drop-off in the tourism sector in Africa and a fall in direct foreign investment into the continent as clear examples of how the global economic crisis affects women in Africa.

"As a result of inequalities women will feel the pinch more than men," said Ms. Saidy.

Women, who make up the majority of small-scale farmers in Africa, are disproportionately affected by the recent hikes in food prices, increased cost of fertilizer and other agricultural inputs, and limited access to fertile land and farming machinery.

Ms. Saidy said that with regards to climate change, "Africa is being punished for something it has not done. We are told that the emission rate for Africa is just 2 per cent of what is emitted in the entire world, but we are paying the price for it.

"Therefore, those who emit should definitely do something to help Africa," she said, adding that climate change is affecting agriculture and that women are the ones suffering the increase in natural disasters most of the time.

The UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will hold a regional ministerial review in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in October to determine how much remains to be achieved to attain equality and the empowerment of women in Africa in the 15 years since the UN's Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Delegates attending the 1995 'Beijing + 15' conference prepared a Platform for Action that aimed at achieving greater equality and opportunity for women worldwide.

"We have fought so hard for women's empowerment, but now we are seeing that that the global economic, food and climate change crises are threatening to compromise our hard-fought gains," said Thokozile Ruzvidzo, who heads the ECA African Centre for Gender and Social Development.

She underscored that the Beijing +15 review is a fundamental prerequisite for progress for African women in the development of their continent.

"We need to focus on how higher food prices and how climate are impacting the lives of women. We need solutions for these challenges and we need them quickly," she stressed in a press release.

In addition to Gambia's Vice-President, more than 15 African Ministers attended the Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) in New York today. Participants at the two-week session of Commission, which opened on Monday, are discussing the progress toward ensuring the respect for women's rights across the world.
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