Poverty has a Woman's Face

Deirdre Mullan rsm representing the Partnerships with Religious Congregations and UNICEF was a special guest of Noeleen Heyzer, Under-Secretary General at the UN, for the conference – Lead by Example – At the Frontiers of Women’s Leadership, which was held at St. Ann’s College in Oxford recently.

L-r: Deirdre Mulla rsm, Noeleen Heyzer

Noeleen outlined how inequalities in norms and practices undermine women in the world. She outlined from her experience working in both UNIFEM and now in Asia Pacific how Poverty continues to have a women’s face and how we continue to see the feminization of poverty through gendercide; child marriages; lack of equal access to education for girls; and honor killings. Looking specifically at how the United Nations operates, Noeleen reiterated what we all know that speeches, interventions and resolutions have great difficulty in realization and demand constant monitoring by civil society. Noeleen gave several examples of how Security Council Resolution 1325 was finally implemented when women together demanded a place at the negotiating tables around the world.

In her response, Deirdre Mullan rsm (Congregation) that while the collective power of the people to take stewardship of our world has global legitimacy and moral authority – the General Assembly and its implementations are hammered by the power and veto authority exercised by the Security Council (SC), when its five member countries can often override decisions made by all other countries together. Sr Deirdre referred to this as the tyranny, the arrogance and the abuse of power!

Messages to: Deirdre Mullan rsm

Image: L-r: Deirdre Mullan rsm, Noeleen Heyzer