Have your say: UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment

Photo credit: UN Women/Ryan Brown
On 21 January 2016, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the first-ever High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment.
The HLP will provide thought leadership and mobilize concrete actions aimed at closing economic gender gaps that persist around the world. The Panel will provide recommendations on:
- The implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to improve economic outcomes for women and promote women’s leadership in driving sustainable and inclusive, environmentally sensitive economic growth
- Key actions that can be taken by governments, the private sector, the UN system and other stakeholders
- Policy directives needed to achieve the new targets and indicators in the Sustainable Development Goals.
On 15 March 2016, during the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the UN Secretary-General will convene the panel to seek inputs and suggestions to the work of the HLP. On the 16th March (10.30-11.30 am) the HLP will have an open consultation with CSW stakeholders in the ECOSOC Chamber and we expect your e-discussion to contribute to the deliberations of the Panel.
On what specific issues would you like the Panel to focus? What concrete actions could they mobilize?
I would wish for the panel to focus on the value of parenthood for the employer (i.e. companies and organizations) besides the value for children and parents. We need more so-called "Parent-Smart" companies in the world - organizations that know and show what they get back from investing in support for the combination of work and parenthood, payed parental leave etc. Parents develop many skills that are highly valuable to companies, not at least in modern leadership. These competencies can be considered an enormous, but often hidden, potential for both employers, managers and employees. More Parent-Smart Companies will contribute to the strive in many countries to change norms and attitudes for helping both women and men live a “whole life”, without having to choose between work and family. It adds to more gender equal and sustainable workplaces, serving as a lever for more gender equal sustainable societies, no matter where in the world.
In Sweden we have a long history of supporting parents with paid parental leave etc. and many employers invest in practical support, being what we call "parent-friendly companies". They have now started realizing that if they actively work to harness parents’ competencies, showing that parenthood is a benefit at work and not a burden, they become more attractive as employers, increase their productivity and at the end, their profitability.
The Swedish pioneer initiative called "ParentSmart Companies" brings together a whole set of methods and tools for both implementing practical support and developing norms and attitudes concerning parenthood and work. The initiative has during the last years got a lot of interest in areas like Eastern Europe, Japan etc. since it shows a whole new and innovative perspective that provides leverage for more gender equal workplaces and societies. The value of parenthood at work is a universal fact but would need some enlightenment in all countries, regardless of culture, family traditions, legislation etc. It serves as a concrete universal example to start making use of ALL competence available in a smarter way.
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