The Vice President and Minister of Women's Affairs, Aja Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy, has stated that the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women is a goal that United Nations member states have committed themselves to as a specific goal within the Millennium Development Goals.

She made this statement at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on Wednesday during the commemoration of 30 years of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). 

She emphasized that the crucial role that women play and must play in all efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, or to reduce child mortality, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases and ensuring environmental sustainability needs to be recognized and valued. VP Njie-Saidy further reiterated that Africa has done a lot to embrace and implement CEDAW and that almost all African countries have ratified the convention.

She extolled the level of women's advancement in most countries; that the gap between boys and girls in education and many others are narrowing as in the case of The Gambia.

She however lamented the issue of violence against women and girls which still remains a concern globally.

She then urged for inspiration to be drawn from The Gambia under the dynamic leadership of President Jammeh, where women are accorded a favourable political environment as manifested in the pronouncements and actions of the government.

She finally noted that The Gambia and its development partners will continue to contribute to the implementation of articles of the UN CEDAW.

Speaking at the occasion on behalf of the UN Office, the representative of the high commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Tigist Gossaye, stated that too many women around the world experience serious violations of their basic human rights, and that in all parts of the world women and girls continue to be exposed to sex based discrimination including sexual violence and economic exploitation.

By Alhaji Ceesay