IMF support aims to enhance participation by women in social and economic development
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On June 5, Margaret Kelly, Director of the IMF’s Human Resources Department, addressed the Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly, “Women 2000: Gender Equality, Development, and Peace for the Twenty-First Century.” She focused on the progress the IMF has made in fostering the participation of women in economic and social development since the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing (see IMF Survey, September 25, 1995, page 286). Excerpts of her remarks follow (the full text is available on the IMF’s website: www.imf.org).
Kelly: “Gender issues cannot be isolated from the national economic context of developing countries.”
While the basic mandate of the IMF, as set out in its Articles of Agreement, has remained unchanged, the focus has been broadened to ensure that all members of society, including women, benefit from the positive effects of sustainable, high-quality growth. The evidence shows that this effort is already bearing fruit.
The IMF’s primary contribution to sustainable economic and human development, including gender equality, is through its work to promote macroeconomic stability and high-quality growth. High-quality growth encompasses policies that reduce poverty and improve equality of opportunity for all of society’s members, in particular its most vulnerable segments, which frequently consist of women and children.
Women and children suffer first and suffer most in times of economic duress. Women are typically the first to lose employment and be forced into marginal and unprotected economic activities. Female children are the first to be withdrawn from school to save resources and contribute to the family economy. In times of food insecurity, women experience higher levels of malnutrition. In short, gender issues cannot be isolated from the national economic context of developing countries. Poverty reduction and crisis prevention are thus key to improving the lives of women, and pro-poor policies are inherently pro-woman.
Relying on the expertise of the World Bank, the United Nations, and regional development banks that have the primary mandate on social issues, the IMF has sought to ensure that social issues are well integrated into IMF-supported programs and IMF policy advice. Programs have indeed promoted universal access to...
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