Who answers to women?: gender and accountability

Abstract

The high standards, trust in humanity, and hope for the future that are expressed in UN human rights instruments require sound accountability mechanisms for their realization. If those who sign agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, or who endorse the Beijing Platform for Action, do not translate commitments into actions, and are not held to account for these actions, these texts lose credibility. Accountability is essential if the world is to realize women’s rights and gender equality. That assertion is the basis and inspiration for this report. UNIFEM’s “Who Answers to Women? Gender and Accountability” appears at a critical juncture. We are just over halfway to the year 2015, set by the international community as the target for achieving Millennium Development Goals. Gender equality is a crucial determining factor for each. Yet the areas where progress has been slowest are women’s empowerment and gender equality. The very sluggish rate of change in the maternal mortality rate in some regions is especially alarming. We must do more to stop these preventable deaths, which affect not only mothers and families but entire societies. The analysis contained in this report suggests that a lack of accountability to women can in some contexts explain more about the non-achievement of gender equality commitments than can other factors such as shortages of resources. Where women are able to participate in determining the distribution of public resources, where that can contribute to the planning of public services, where they can seek and obtain justice for abuses of their rights, where there are consequences for poor performance on women’s rights, better outcomes for women are achievable. “Who Answers to Women?” identifies two indispensable elements of gender-responsive accountability. First, women must be legitimate members of any oversight or accountability process. Second, national commitments to gender equality and women’s rights must be among the standards against which public decisions are assessed. But the primary litmus test of gender-responsive accountability will be the elimination of violence against women. That is why, early in my tenure, I launched the global “Unite to End Violence against Women” campaign.