Message on International Women’s Day

国际妇女节致辞

8 March 2019

2019年3月8日

Gender equality and women’s rights are fundamental to global progress on peace and security, human rights and sustainable development. We can only re-establish trust in institutions, rebuild global solidarity and reap the benefits of diverse perspectives by challenging historic injustices and promoting the rights and dignity of all.

性别平等和妇女权利对于全球和平与安全、人权和可持续发展取得进展至关重要。我们只有通过挑战历史上不公正现象和促进人人享有权利和尊严，才能重建体制信任、再造全球团结，并从各种不同的观点中受益。

In recent decades, we have seen remarkable progress on women’s rights and leadership in some areas. But these gains are far from complete or consistent – and they have already sparked a troubling backlash from an entrenched patriarchy.

近几十年来，妇女权利和领导力在一些领域取得显著进展。但这些成果还很不完整，也参差不齐，由此引发顽固的父权意识卷土重来，令人不安。

Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power. We live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture. Only when we see women’s rights as our common objective, a route to change that benefits everyone, will we begin to shift the balance.

从根本上说，性别平等是一个权力问题。我们生活在一个由男性主导、充斥大男子主义文化的世界中。我们只有将妇女权利视为的共同目标，使变革之路惠及所有人，才能开始改变这种平衡。

Increasing the number of women decision-makers is fundamental. At the United Nations, I have made this a personal and urgent priority. We now have gender parity among those who lead our teams around the world, and the highest-ever numbers of women in senior management. We will continue to build on this progress.

提高妇女决策者人数至关重要。在联合国，我已将此作为个人的当务之急。目前在世界各地，我们已在许多团队的领导层中实现性别均等，高级管理层中的妇女人数比以往任何时候都多。我们将在这一进展基础上再接再厉。

But women still face major obstacles in accessing and exercising power. As the World Bank found, just six economies give women and men equal legal rights in areas that affect their work. And if current trends continue, it will take 170 years to close the economic gender gap.

但是，妇女在获得和行使权力方面仍面临重大障碍。正如世界银行发现的那样，只有六个经济体在其相关工作领域给予妇女和男子平等的法律权利。长此以往，需要170年才能在经济上弥合性别差距。

Nationalist, populist and austerity agendas add to gender inequality with policies that curtail women’s rights and cut social services. In some countries, while homicide rates overall are decreasing, femicide rates are rising. In others we see a rollback of legal protection against domestic violence or female genital mutilation. We know women’s participation makes peace agreements more durable, but even governments that are vocal advocates fail to back their words with action. The use of sexual violence as a tactic in conflict continues to traumatize individuals and entire societies.

民族主义、民粹主义和紧缩议程通过阻碍妇女获得权利和削减社会服务的政策，加剧了性别不平等。有些国家虽然总体来说凶杀率不断下降，但杀害妇女的比率仍在上升。还有些国家针对家庭暴力或切割女性生殖器官行为受害人的法律保护制度屡屡倒退。我们知道，妇女的参与可使和平协议更加持久，但即使政府作为直言不讳的倡导者也没有做到言行一致。冲突中的性暴力行为作为一种策略仍给每个人乃至整个社会造成创伤。

Against this backdrop, we need to redouble our efforts to protect and promote women’s rights, dignity and leadership. We must not give ground that has been won over decades and we must push for wholesale, rapid and radical change.

在此背景下，我们需要加倍努力保护和促进妇女的权利、尊严和领导力。我们决不能放弃几十年取得的胜利，我们必须推动全面、迅速和彻底的变革。

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change”, addresses infrastructure, systems and frameworks that have been constructed largely in line with a male-defined culture. We need to find innovative ways of reimagining and rebuilding our world so that it works for everyone. Women decision-makers in areas like urban design, transport and public services can increase women’s access, prevent harassment and violence, and improve everyone’s quality of life.

今年国际妇女节的主题是“思想图平等、建设靠才智、创新谋变革”，着力改变那些基本按照大男子主义文化搭建的基础设施、系统和框架。我们需要以创新方法重新构思和重新建设当今世界，使它为每个人服务。城市设计、交通和公共服务等领域的妇女决策者可以增加妇女获得服务的机会，防止骚扰和暴力行为，并改善大家的生活质量。

This applies equally to the digital future that is already upon us. Innovation and technology reflect the people who make them. The underrepresentation and lack of retention of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics and design should be a cause of concern to all.

这同样适用于我们已经面临的数字未来。谁是创新和技术的发明人，就会有什么样的创新和技术。在科学、技术、工程、数学和设计领域中妇女人数不足和留不住妇女的问题应引起所有人的关注。

Last month, in Ethiopia, I spent time with African Girls Can Code, an initiative that is helping to bridge the digital gender divide and train the tech leaders of tomorrow. I was delighted to see the energy and enthusiasm these girls brought to their projects. Programmes like this not only develop skills; they challenge stereotypes that limit girls’ ambitions and dreams.

上个月，我在埃塞俄比亚与“非洲女孩能编码”小组一起度过了一段时间，这项倡议旨在帮助弥合数字性别鸿沟和培训未来的技术领导者。我很高兴看到这些女孩对该项目倾注的活力和热情。这样的方案不仅能培养技能，而且也能挑战那些限制女孩志向和梦想的陈规定型观念。

On this International Women’s Day, let’s make sure women and girls can shape the policies, services and infrastructure that impact all our lives. And let’s support women and girls who are breaking down barriers to create a better world for everyone.

值此国际妇女节之际，让我们确保妇女和女孩能够塑造影响我们所有人生活的政策、服务和基础设施。我们要支持这些妇女和女孩打破藩篱，创造更美好的世界。