This year started off with the dark and grim overhang of the global financial crisis. The collapse of international markets as we speak is threatening strides taken in addressing the HIV Pandemic, a problem partly rooted in gender inequality. However, Monday’s decision by the United Nation’s General Assembly to establish a unified agency solely dedicated to addressing gender inequality could not have come at a better time. I would like to thank the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon for his leadership in this landmark decision.

This action will undoubtedly set the world agenda squarely on advancing equality between sexes. For 61 years, despite the universal declaration of human rights, women have largely remained second class citizens. Despite the ambitions of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women and the more recent Beijing Platform for Action, many goals to achieve gender equality remain unfulfilled. It is clear that gender equality until recently has not taken precedence as a human right, just a great talking point with little follow up action. But now this new agency offers hope, with lasting impact on the human rights of women in every country across the world.

Finally, women’s rights and gender issues can be meaningfully addressed with substantial financial backing and more coordination from the amalgamation of current efforts from the UN. Although this process has taken three years, the struggle for equality between all human beings regardless of sex is nearer to being won.

It would be an honour to witness the success of a UN agency dedicated to addressing the rights of women. But this success is completely dependent on funding as much as the involvement of women’s groups that are familiar and experienced in the needs of women on the ground.

I would like to urge the Secretary General to provide leadership in ensuring that the new agency is built on a solid framework. One that unites women’s groups, ensures their participation and learns from their experience to impact vulnerable women across the globe. This can only work with full financial backing. With such a framework and the right support I have great hopes for the success of this new UN agency for gender equality.