57. A key prerequisite for empowering people to make sustainable choices is ensuring their human rights, including the right to take part in government directly or through freely chosen representatives as well as the fundamental freedoms of thought, conscience, religion, opinion, expression, association and assembly. Sustainable choices can be made only where there are opportunities to influence our situation, claim our rights and voice our concerns. Human rights gained universal recognition in 1948 and the importance of effective citizens’ participation in decision-making processes was emphasized in the Brundtland report and endorsed in the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.
58. Those living in poverty are among the most vulnerable to political injustices, social inequity and economic downturns. They are also among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, resource scarcity and environmental degradation. They are most exposed to the health risks arising from pollution, poor sanitation and unclean water. And they also rely most on natural resources, often deriving up to two thirds of their income directly from them and spending up to three quarters of their household incomes on food and other basic needs. Eradicating poverty is critical for the well-being of both people and the planet, and to do so, Governments need to deliver on the existing commitments of the Millennium Development Goals.
59. Persistent gender inequality in particular has to be addressed as part of any serious shift towards sustainable development. Unless we do so, more than half our collective intelligence and capacity risks being wasted — as does that of the next generation, and the next. And while real gains have been made over the last few decades, women are still confronted with numerous barriers that limit their capacity as citizens, producers and leaders.
60. Women are vastly underrepresented in decision-making positions around the world. They hold fewer than 20 per cent of all seats in national parliaments and occupy only 16 per cent of ministerial posts. Where women do secure posts, their representation is uneven across sectors: while approximately 35 per cent of social affairs and welfare ministers are women, only 19 per cent of finance and trade ministers, 7 per cent of environment, natural resources and energy ministers, and a mere 3 per cent of science and technology ministers are female. Yet evidence shows that when women are at the table in greater numbers, collective needs are given higher priority — including access to clean water and education and setting aside protected land areas. There is also extensive evidence that ensuring women are part of conflict prevention and peace processes makes for peace settlements that last.
61. Discriminatory laws and practices on inheritance and ownership are a particular brake on women’s economic autonomy and potential. These are especially important in the agriculture sector, where extension services often fail to reach women farmers who lack formal title to their land. It is estimated that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20 to 30 per cent, potentially raising total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 to 4 per cent and reducing the number of undernourished people in the world by 12 to 17 per cent. Rights to inheritance and ownership are also critical in urban areas and informal settlements, and can ensure women’s social and economic empowerment during land reform and community rehabilitation programmes.
62. Improving access to family planning, reproductive rights and health services is also fundamental to sustainable development. It not only provides immediate health benefits and reductions in maternal and child mortality, but slows population growth, helps end poverty passed on from one generation to another and lightens the burden on countries with poor natural resource endowments. Access to family planning and reproductive health services is closely linked to overall gender equality: gender equality tends to be higher where they are available, and vice versa.
63. Changes in knowledge, attitudes and behaviour — among both men and women — are also essential for gender equality. This is especially central to the reduction of sexual harassment, violence against women and cross-border trafficking of women and girls, which are not only violations of women’s and girls’ rights, but have direct and indirect costs for survivors, the private sector and the public sector in terms of health, police and legal and related expenditure, as well as lost productivity.
Recommendation 1 64. Governments and international donors should scale up their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals to eradicate poverty and to reduce inequalities as top priorities for attaining sustainable development.
Recommendation 2 65. Governments should respect, protect and provide for human rights, including the right to take part in government directly or through freely chosen representatives, as recognized in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Recommendation 3 66. Governments should accelerate the implementation of commitments to advance gender equality and women’s rights, including through the repeal of discriminatory laws and removal of formal barriers, the reform of institutions and the development and adoption of innovative measures to address informal and cultural practices that act as barriers. Particular emphasis should be given to:
(a) Ensuring that women have full and equal access to and control over productive resources through the equal right to own property and the right to inherit, and equal access to credit, financial and extension services along the entire value chain;
(b) Ensuring women’s equal rights and opportunities in political decision- making processes that are participatory, responsive, equitable and inclusive;
(c) Ensuring universal access to quality and affordable family-planning and other sexual and reproductive rights and health services.