The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-sponsored 2010 Asia-Pacific Human Development Report was launched in New Delhi on Monday 8 March 2010, simultaneous with the International Women’s Day. The Report focuses on three key areas —economic power, political decision-making and legal rights― to analyse what holds women back, and how policies and attitudes can be changed to foster a climb toward gender equality. Asia, the Report asserts, is standing at a cross-road and by putting the right policies in place now, countries in the region can achieve positive change.

UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark delivered remarks in presenting the Report. Recalling that 2010 marks twenty years since UNDP first published a Human Development Report, she stated, “The human development approach emphasises that development is about more than increasing GDP per capita, and that it must be shaped by an effort to improve people’s ability to shape their own lives.” She added that the report being launched on 8 March, entitled Power, Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific is very much in this tradition. Helen Clark also pointed out that the focus of the Report on gender with the theme of “Equal rights, equal opportunities: progress for all", made the launch on International Women’s Day highly appropriate.

“Empowering women is vital for achieving development goals overall, and for boosting economic growth and sustainable development,” said UNDP Administrator Helen Clark, in presenting the Report: Power, Voice and Rights: A Turning Point for Gender Equality in Asia and the Pacific, here today. “Policy needs to advance gender equality, so that women as well as men can benefit from job creation and investments in social infrastructure.”

The Administrator also added, “The present Report provides a compelling case for accelerating the empowerment of women to lock in long term sustainable progress.  It sees equality for women as a basic human right, which, if achieved, also contributes to development, stability, and the deepening of democracy.”

She hoped that on the International Women’s Day, “we can reflect on what has worked in advancing progress towards gender equality in this region, and correct what has not. We can determine to make the release of this report today a turning point for gender equality in the Asia-Pacific, and elsewhere too.”

For more information, please see: http://www2.undprcc.lk/ext/pvr/