E-Procurement
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OVERVIEW
The revolution for gender equality
One of the defining movements of the 20th century has been the relentless struggle for gender equality, led mostly by women, but supported by growing numbers of men. When this struggle finally succeeds-as it must-it will mark a great milestone in human progress. And along the way it will change most of today's premises for social, economic and political life. The Human Development Report has consistently defined the basic objective of development as enlarging people's choices. At the heart of this concept are three essential components: • Equality of opportunity for all people in society. • Sustainability of such opportunities from one generation to the next. • Empowerment of people so that they participate in-and benefit from-development processes. Equal enjoyment of human rights by women and men is a universally accepted principle, reaffirmed by the Vienna declaration, adopted by 171 states at the World Conference on Human Rights in]une 1993. It has many dimensions: • Equal access to basic social services, including education and health. • Equal opportunities for participation in political and economic decision-making. • Equal reward for equal work. • Equal protection under the law. • Elimination of discrimination by gender and violence against women. • Equal rights of citizens in all areas of life, both public-such as the workplace-and private-such as the home. The recognition of equal rights for women along with men, and the determination to combat discrimination on the basis of gender, arc achievements equal in
importance to the abolition of slavery, the elimination of colonialism and the establishment of equal rights for racial and ethnic minorities. A full analysis of the historical and political movement for gender equality extends far beyond what can be covered in this Report. No numbers, no indices, no policy packages can capture the true essence of that movement. But they can help propel that
OVERVIEW
The revolution for gender equality
One of the defining movements of the 20th century has been the relentless struggle for gender equality, led mostly by women, but supported by growing numbers of men. When this struggle finally succeeds-as it must-it will mark a great milestone in human progress. And along the way it will change most of today's premises for social, economic and political life. The Human Development Report has consistently defined the basic objective of development as enlarging people's choices. At the heart of this concept are three essential components: • Equality of opportunity for all people in society. • Sustainability of such opportunities from one generation to the next. • Empowerment of people so that they participate in-and benefit from-development processes. Equal enjoyment of human rights by women and men is a universally accepted principle, reaffirmed by the Vienna declaration, adopted by 171 states at the World Conference on Human Rights in]une 1993. It has many dimensions: • Equal access to basic social services, including education and health. • Equal opportunities for participation in political and economic decision-making. • Equal reward for equal work. • Equal protection under the law. • Elimination of discrimination by gender and violence against women. • Equal rights of citizens in all areas of life, both public-such as the workplace-and private-such as the home. The recognition of equal rights for women along with men, and the determination to combat discrimination on the basis of gender, arc achievements equal in
importance to the abolition of slavery, the elimination of colonialism and the establishment of equal rights for racial and ethnic minorities. A full analysis of the historical and political movement for gender equality extends far beyond what can be covered in this Report. No numbers, no indices, no policy packages can capture the true essence of that movement. But they can help propel that