00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:11 Honorable Dr. Monique Sanz-Avaganwa,
00:13 Deputy Chairperson of the EU, honorable ministers,
00:18 Ms. Malado Kaba, Director of Gender, Women,
00:22 and Civil Society Department for the FTB,
00:26 members of the UN family, to all the he/for/she distinguished
00:32 guests, champions of gender equality,
00:35 ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
00:39 What a year 2023 is proving itself to be.
00:44 While we are only three years into the decade
00:47 of the African women, we have indeed
00:50 marked 20 years since the adoption of the Maputo
00:53 Protocol.
00:55 And to honor this anniversary, appropriately, honest,
00:58 and thorough reflection must indeed be on the agenda.
01:03 How much have the fates of women truly improved?
01:07 What have been the new challenges
01:09 to women's economic empowerment?
01:11 And what conditions persist for gender-based violence
01:14 to remain a common occurrence in so many of our societies?
01:22 Ladies and gentlemen, over the past two decades,
01:24 the landscape of our world has become practically
01:28 unrecognizable.
01:30 And still, many of us may feel like we are consistently
01:33 racing against the clock.
01:36 2030, 2050, 2063, how often are these years mentioned
01:43 in spaces like these sometimes creating the illusion
01:47 that there is no real harm in real change being
01:50 delayed until then?
01:55 And yet, every day of financial inequality
01:57 is a day of injustice that should have been avoided,
02:00 for its effects are pervasive beyond a scarcity of means
02:04 for some women.
02:08 For many women, financial dependency
02:10 on a man or systems of social assistance
02:13 means being at the mercy of patriarchy,
02:16 being powerless to their own outcomes.
02:19 [APPLAUSE]
02:25 Despite civilization relying so primarily on women
02:28 to sustain itself, women's contributions to the world
02:31 are frequently omitted.
02:34 Yet, women's contributions to the world
02:36 have been humanity itself.
02:41 When, why, and how did we decide that women should be disempowered
02:45 with lower pay or systemic exclusion,
02:49 and yet also carry a substantial responsibility in what
02:52 is perhaps the ultimate task, ensuring the continuity
02:58 of our human race?
03:01 Ladies and gentlemen, I don't wish
03:03 to understate the offerings of men to our communities.
03:08 On our continent, like across the world,
03:09 good men have perhaps always been
03:11 the protectors of their families.
03:14 And to this day, men with egalitarian values
03:17 stand by women as we oppose patriarchy.
03:21 But these men are the first to denounce
03:23 a discriminatory order speaking of our women,
03:27 implying that they deserve a little more
03:29 than crumbs of the world they have equally helped to build.
03:36 And this is a stance of an ally.
03:39 This is the behavior expected of gender equality champions.
03:44 Dear friends, the African Union through the WYFEI--
03:50 I assume you all know what the acronym means--
03:53 and the AFDB through the AFAWA jointly
03:57 debunk the myth that global South countries are
04:00 apathetic to women's fates.
04:04 Together, we have advocates for policies
04:06 that promote female and youth financial inclusion
04:09 with the assistance of strong partners.
04:13 And due to your good work, innovative financial solutions
04:17 have been funded and developed.
04:19 And now, between risk sharing mechanism, gender lens,
04:22 investments, and the blended finance to state a few,
04:26 more inclusive investment and fund sourcing options
04:29 are available for women, including unbanked women.
04:35 We all know microfinance, which is increasingly
04:37 digitalized for improved effectiveness and accessibility
04:41 to be a powerful catalyst for poverty alleviation for women
04:44 in the global South.
04:46 But alleviation isn't enough.
04:48 We must eradicate poverty for men and women.
04:51 And unfortunately, we have not been moving fast enough.
04:57 But here is the beauty of a genuine commitment to change.
05:01 It encourages gatherings such as this one,
05:04 pushes us to revisit, reassess, and re-strategize.
05:10 I will not compete with the expertise of the fintech
05:14 experts present here today by defining the way ahead.
05:18 But I believe that, as with every great endeavor bringing
05:21 financial autonomy to all women, begins with the people,
05:25 the will, and the means.
05:28 Whether we invest more in technological advancement
05:31 or agriculture, on advocacy or policymaking,
05:35 on solutions or preventions, on microfinance or macrofinance,
05:40 we must prioritize the innovation that center women,
05:44 address overlooked obstacles to their empowerment,
05:47 demand women's involvement in the industries that
05:50 drive our development, and leverage the policy changes
05:54 to make these progress irreversible.
05:59 Let us reclaim our spaces and our rights to inclusion.
06:04 Let us leave no one behind as we craft sustainable solutions.
06:10 And to all our hiifushi, do not settle for low expectations
06:17 from women.
06:19 You surely can do more.
06:22 I thank you for your kind attention
06:23 and for your participation in this Women Deliver conference.
06:30 [APPLAUSE]
06:33 (upbeat music)
