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Millennium Development Goals Report 2007 |
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The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) Report 2007 was launched on Monday, July 2nd 2008 at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) session in Geneva, Switzerland. The report highlights the progress made in gender equality and women's political participation.
MDG Report 2007 states that opportunities for women to participate in the labour market are growing. However, the process has been slow. Significant gains have been in South Asia, Southern Africa, Western Asia and Oceania, while in North Africa progress is insignificant as the the economic situation of women has remained stagnant over the last 15 years. The report states that worldwide, 60% of unpaid family jobs are occupied by women.
In the area of political participation, 17% of parliamentarian seats worldwide are occupied by women, a 4% increase from 1990. Rwanda is close to meeting the MDG for women and political participation, as 49% of their parliamentary seats are occupied by women. In the Middle East, two women won seats in Kuwait and 23 in the United Arab Emirates. In 2006, 13 women were
heads of government or State.
Though these are positive gains for gender equality and women's political participation, the MDG Report 2007 serves as a reminder that here is still much to be done.
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