In a globalized world, national actions alone are not sufficient. It is necessary to address the transnational dimension of gender inequalities and correct asymmetries in trade, finance, and technology through regional and international cooperation to advance gender equality and ensure women’s rights.
This is one of the reflections shared by Nicole Bidegain Ponte, Social Affairs Officer of the Gender Affairs Division of ECLAC, during her presentation at the First Session of the Regional Conference on South-South Cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Nicole Bidegain Ponte highlighted that Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region in the world where, for over 45 years, governments, the United Nations system, international organizations, civil society organizations, particularly women’s and feminist organizations and movements, academia, and the private sector come together in the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean. This subsidiary body of ECLAC has been key in promoting dialogue and multi-stakeholder cooperation, added the Social Affairs Officer.
In particular, Nicole Bidegain Ponte pointed out that Latin America and the Caribbean have adopted a comprehensive Regional Gender Agenda to promote women’s rights and gender equality, which has a multi-scale approach, connecting subnational, national, regional, and international levels to promote sustainable development and end gender inequalities within and between countries. She emphasized that the Buenos Aires Commitment, adopted by the governments of the region during the XV Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, is of particular interest as governments agreed to recognize care as part of human rights, promote North-South, South-South, and triangular cooperation programs that promote gender equality and women’s autonomy, and reaffirm the crucial role of non-governmental organizations, particularly women’s and feminist organizations and movements.
Nicole Bidegain Ponte highlighted that, to accelerate the implementation of these commitments, it is crucial to consider the Montevideo Strategy for the Implementation of the Regional Gender Agenda within the Framework of Sustainable Development Framework by 2030. This strategy, she said, focuses on the means of implementation, highlighting the vital role of cooperation as the main axis for implementing the agreements approved by the ECLAC member states. Nicole Bidegain Ponte emphasized that, to achieve a transformative recovery, it is crucial to advance recovery plans with affirmative actions that promote comprehensive care systems, decent work, and the full participation of women in strategic sectors of the economy. These actions, agreed upon within the framework of the Buenos Aires Commitment, are aimed at achieving gender equality and the sustainability of life, representing a moment of transformative change as proposed by the care society.
See Nicole Bidegain Ponte’s presentation: “Women’s Autonomy and Gender Equality at the Center of Multi-stakeholder Cooperation”.
