Women in Southern Africa’s informal sector are being neglected, says UN

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Women in Southern Africa’s informal sector are being neglected, says UN

7:07 CAT | 10 Aug 2016

UN / Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka

Many leaders are “disengaged” when it comes to issues affecting women and girls‚ Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka‚ UN Women’s executive director said on Wednesday at Oxfam SA’s consultations with women’s organisations and movements in Southern Africa.

The event was aimed at prioritising the voices of women’s rights organisations “to set out how the agenda for women’s economic empowerment can best be implemented in Africa and globally”.

Mlambo-Ngcuka said it was troubling that women’s issues was not an area by which leaders‚ most of whom are men‚ measured their work.

“Women’s ministries need extraordinary support‚” she said.

Mlambo-Ngcuka said there was not enough focus on women in the informal sector. There was also a disconnect between the informal and formal sector.

“Women in the informal sector are not represented at policy making level. Just the basic infrastructure women need to trade does not exist.”

She said UN Women would prepare a report detailing these problems. It would be sent to all member states.

“We hope that in the end‚ we will put the informal sector on the map.”

Source: TMG Digital