WASHINGTON - Gender equality is smart economics as countries which create betteropportunities and conditions for women can raise productivity and improve outcomes forchildren, the World Bank said Sunday ahead of its annual meetings.
Gender equality can also make institutions more representative and advance developmentprospects for all, the Washington-based global lender said in its flagship report entitled "WorldDevelopment Report 2012: Gender Equality and Development."
The report acknowledged significant progress has been made in narrowing gender gaps ineducation, health and labor markets over the past 25 years,as disparities between boys andgirls in primary education have closed in almost all countries.
In secondary education, these gaps are closing rapidly, and in many countries, especially inLatin America, the Caribbean and East Asia, it is now boys and young men who aredisadvantaged, it said.
"We need to achieve gender equality," said World Bank President Robert Zoellick, adding thatover the past five years, the bank has provided 65 billion U.S. dollars to support girls'education, women's health, as well as women's access to credit, land, agricultural services, jobsand infrastructure.
Going forward, the bank will mainstream its gender work and find other ways to move theagenda forward to capture the full potential of half the world's population, Zoellick said.
"Blocking women and girls from getting the skills and earnings to succeed in a globalized worldis not only wrong, but also economically harmful," said Justin Yifu Lin, chief economist andsenior vice president of the World Bank.
"Sharing the fruits of growth and globalization equally between men and women is essential tomeeting key development goals," added Lin.
The World Bank and its sister agency the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are scheduled tokick off their annual meetings late this month in Washington.
No comments:
Post a Comment