UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned Monday of a worldwide pushback against women's rights, urging delegates at an annual gathering on the status of women to not give ground.
Some 9,000 advocates are taking part in the 12-day Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) amid much nervousness about a rollback of gains made over several decades to promote gender equality.
"Around the world, there is a pushback on women's rights," Guterres told the opening session of CSW at the General Assembly.
"That pushback is deep, pervasive and relentless." Women running for political office and women human rights defenders are facing increased violence, while in some countries, the murders of women are going up.
In the workplace, women are 26 percent less likely to be employed than men and fewer than one-third of managers are women, even though they are likely to be better educated, said Guterres, citing a recent International Labour Organisation study.
"Even governments that are vocal supporters of this agenda fail to back their words with action where it counts," said the UN chief, who has declared himself to be a proud feminist.
He singled out nationalist, populist and austerity agendas that are "aggravating inequality, splintering communities, curtailing women's rights, cutting vital services."
"We have a fight on our hands", Guterres told the gathering, vowing: "We will not give ground. We will not turn back. We will push back against the pushback."
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