Gender equality is not a luxury says head of UN Women

Published: Sunday, May 22, 2011

Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, was in Turkey last week attending the Summit of Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

She met with the Turkish President Abdullah Gül to talk about the lack of political representation for women and said she would take into consideration his'very generous proposal' to open a regional office of UN Women in Turkey.

Bachelet, a former Defense Minster and Chile's first female president, emphasised that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women, adding that gender equality is not a luxury since investing in women means investing in the future of a country.

"When a woman earns an income, she uses it to take care of her children for example, thus she contributes to future generations," she said. "Gender equality is not a luxury, it is an imperative, a need to have sustainable development."

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