Lakshmi Puri highlights the need for concerted action to provide sustainable, life-saving energy solutions
Date:
18 April, Washington D.C.— Lakshmi Puri Acting Head and Assistant Secretary-General of UN Women is taking part in high-level meetings in Washington D.C. from 18-21 April, aimed at advancing cooperation between the United Nations and the World Bank, the institution dedicated to providing financial and technical aid to developing countries around the world. Talks will focus on gender equality, education, climate change and sustainable energy, poverty, and the role of development banks.
On Thursday morning, Ms. Puri participated in a High-Level Roundtable discussion on the Equal Futures Partnership to advance women’s economic empowerment and political participation. Launched by United States President Barack Obama’s at the UN General Assembly in September 2012, the goal of the Equal Futures Partnership is to realize women’s human rights by expanding opportunities for women and girls to fully participate in public life and drive inclusive economic growth. In her remarks, Ms. Puri urged Member States to make concrete commitments and an accountability framework to track their progress.
Also on 18 April, Ms. Puri took part in the Second Meeting of the High-Level Steering Committee of the UN Secretary-General’s Global Education First Initiative (GEFI)—a five-year global initiative to raise the political profile of education and rally a global movement to achieve quality, relevant and inclusive education for all by 2015. As a member of the Steering Committee that provides strategic direction to the initiative, UN Women has contributed to ensuring that gender equality and women’s rights dimensions of education are well embedded in all efforts.
During her speech on Friday at the High-Level Panel Discussion on Activities towards the Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL), Ms. Puri will underline the importance of securing sustainable sources of energy for the MDGs and future development goals. She will stress that women can and must play an active role in the planning, producing, supplying and managing of energy. As part of the initiative’s high-impact opportunity for concerted action to provide sustainable, life-saving energy solutions, UN Women will work with partners to increase access to, and availability of, modern energy sources for women’s health facilities and services in low- and middle-income countries.
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