Gender Justice: Key to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals

With the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 2015 target date fast approaching, discrimination and inequality are holding back progress on all of the Goals, which include gender equality and women’s empowerment, reducing hunger and poverty, achieving universal primary education, improving maternal health and combating HIV and AIDS. This UNIFEM briefing paper outlines four areas where urgent action is needed to accelerate progress on the MDGs and achieve gender justice: – Expanding women-friendly public services; – Guaranteeing land and jobs for women; – Increasing women’s voice in decision-making; – Ending violence against women and girls. Ending discrimination and enhancing gender justice are key to meeting MDG commitments and the principles embodied in the Millennium Declaration.