UN HLP: UN Women South-South Expert Consultation on WEE

In cooperation with the Office of the Vice-Chancellor of University of Witwatersrand, UN Women hosted a South-South Consultation on 11 August 2016 in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the theme: Making Economies Work for Women in the South: What Will it Take?

In line with the objectives of the UN High Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment, the purpose of the consultation was to reflect on why, even with the diverse efforts and investments made towards women’s economic empowerment, sufficient progress was not being made to overcome the structural barriers that create limited benefit, exclusion and marginalisation for women’s agency and inclusion in the economy. Participants explored questions including: Why is the world economy not working for women, especially women in the South? What are the most practical and successful solutions currently being pursued, to fast-track women’s economic empowerment, particularly for women in the South? 

In reflecting on these questions, the consultation focused on macroeconomic policy frameworks and measures of ‘productive work; gender differences in pay and working conditions; and the impact of the care economy on women’s time and opportunities.

The event opened with a presentation from participants of a consultation jointly hosted by WIEGO and Oxfam the previous day, August 10. These participants, who were primarily representatives of grassroots womens’ organizations, shared the recommendations that they collectively identified in the consultation on the 10th. Later in the event, Marlese Von Broembsen from WIEGO spoke on the panel “Informality, Equal Pay and the Mainstream Economy.” 

Check out the highlights from this event and follow HLP-related events using the hashtags #HLP and #WomensEconomicEmpowerment.

Learn more about WIEGO and SEWA’s ongoing participation in the SGHLP process.