Equality drive launched by African women leaders at landmark conference

Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to a renewed social contract anchored in human rights - the new Agenda for Peace - the UN chief told a meeting on Tuesday aimed at advancing women’s leadership worldwide.

South Sudan sits at a critical crossroad, with swift action needed to quell chronic intercommunal clashes, ramp up assistance to ever more communities in need, and advance progress towards a durable peace, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Monday.

Women’s empowerment and gender equality are “essential to global progress”, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres stressed in his message for International Women's Day which this year puts “innovation by women and girls, for women and girls”, at the heart of efforts to achieve gender equality.