With women being paid an average of 23 per cent less than men, the United Nations has launched a high-profile network to call for equal pay for work of equal value.
The launch of the Platform – which is part of a broader UN International Labour Organization (ILO) and UN Women Global Equal Pay Coalition – coincided with the opening day of the 61st Commission on the Status of Women, known as the largest inter-governmental forum on women’s rights and gender equality.
The theme this year is on women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work.
The goal of the Platform is to call for increased support by proactively reaching out to decision and policy makers, according to a press release from the event.
In 2016, during 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW60) , UN Women launched a global call to action to galvanize multi-stakeholder commitment and multi-stakeholder action on Equal Pay between Women and Men for Work of Equal Value.
Along with global advocacy in support of equal pay within the framework of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment and the ILO Women at Work Centenary Initiative, a UN Women-ILO led Global Equal Pay Coalition, which will be launched in September 2017, will contribute to accelerating concrete measures at the global, regional and national levels to reduce the global gender pay gap by 2030.
The Coalition will include a Platform of Champions which will lead a broad awareness raising and visible political advocacy campaign and which will be launched during the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW61) .
The work of the Platform of Champions will contribute to the longer-term coordinated sustainable legal and policy work of the Global Equal Pay Coalition on the issue of equal pay for work of equal value and related gender equality issues.