Economic empowerment and environmental sustainability

Sustainable development, including women’s economic justice and the environment, is a global priority for the World YWCA movement. The YWCA policy on sustainable development calls on the movement to take action in building just and sustainable communities, taking into account a gender and human rights approach, and acknowledging that social equity and care for the environment are critical elements in the development process.

According to some estimates, women represent 70 percent of the world’s poor. The Millennium Development Goals (2000- 2015) adopted at the Millennium Summit in 2000 by 189 heads of State and Governments are ambitious and challenging but they are a commitment by the world to work together to build a just and equitable world. The vision of the MDGs resonates with the vision of the World YWCA and the goals provide an opportunity to feature the work YWCAs are doing in communities worldwide. YWCA programmes on development, microfinance, literacy, health, HIV and AIDS, as well as efforts to eliminate gender inequality and poverty, are all linked with the MDGs.

The YWCA has always strived for a society where access to education, health and clean water, and the care for environment is ensured. The eight Millennium Development Goals touch every aspect of the YWCA’s work. In addition to holding our governments responsible, YWCAs must build the political will to be part of the solutions. Working to meet the goals is as practical as carrying out campaigns to keep girls in schools, delivering literacy classes, enabling successful micro credit programmes, or providing leadership in HIV and AIDS information, prevention, care and treatment.

YWCAs around the world must begin to tell our stories within the framework of the goals so that our efforts will combine with others to make a difference. Women’s leadership can also help identify any hindrances to achieving these goals, and campaign for the removal of these obstacles. For example, if school fees hinder girls from staying in schools, then we must insist that countries work towards providing free education. If poverty makes women more vulnerable to HIV and AIDS then we must insist on more programmes which promote the economic empowerment of women and also the macro programmes which remove countries from cycles of poverty.