WIREDGOV

“We believe that ‘UN Women’ has the potential to make a genuine and lasting difference for millions of women around the world. With just five years left until the MDG deadline, the new agency comes not a moment too soon. 

However, the success of ‘UN Women’ is not guaranteed. Much hinges on money and leadership - two critical things still not finalised after yesterday's agreement. Civil Society Organisations, including VSO, believe the new agency should have at least $1bn annually so that it can run programmes that help women live free from violence, earn an income and have a say in decisions that affect their lives. We are disappointed that member states did not set a funding goal for the agency, and are particularly concerned given the international community's poor track-record on financing programmes that help women. 

The other critical factor will be the choice of leader. We hope the Secretary General will waste no time in recruiting a strong, dynamic and capable woman to lead the agency, but urge him to do so through an open, fair and transparent process.

We applaud the leadership shown by both the previous and the current British Government during the negotiations that led to the creation of this new women's agency. We now hope that the UK will continue to work with other donors to ensure that ‘UN Women’ is given the resources and support it needs to undertake the huge and vital task ahead.”