Power of the Female State Presidents - Finland

While it is true that not everyone who has access to an educational system ends up in poverty, the vast majority of today's poor never even made it through elementary school, two out of every five individuals are illiterate, and violence is on the rise.

According to the World Bank, around 8.5% of today’s world population might be extremely poor by the end of 2022, and poverty is now falling at a relatively slower rate of barely 2% per year. Today's population is poorer than that of the 1990s when 1.9 billion people, or 36% of the global population, lived on less than $1.90 a day back then. 

There is a direct correlation between poverty and hunger in Africa. A quarter of the world's hungry people live in Africa. Africa’s population are malnourished and more than 30% of children in Africa have growth anomalies such as stunting as a result of chronic malnutrition, making it impossible for them to benefit fully from receiving education. 

Education is a great tool for breaking the cycle of poverty since it helps people of all socioeconomic backgrounds. It has the potential to aid those in need by providing them with pathways to employment, resources, and the development of employability skills that can allow them to break out of poverty.

The issues described above were the main driver to inviting a specialist in the field: On Friday, December 9, 2022, former President of Finland Her Excellency Tarja Halonen flue from Helsinki to spend an entire day with the fellows of the Executive’s Masters of International Relations and Global Politics students at the Swiss Geneva University, organized by professor Anis H. Bajrektarevic. 

Sustainable development goals, their influence on the global system, and the significance of poverty eradication, education, and inequality were all central to the discussion themes. From 2000 to 2012, Her Excellency - the former President of the Republic of Finland and a pioneering female leader in the 20th century, after serving as president for a total of 12 years, her political insight and know-how are immense. She began by explaining the origins of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) as we know them now by drawing on her considerable background in multilateralism and international politics.

They evolved from their original name, the "Millennium Development Goals," to their current form over time. However, the ironical connection was that all of these goals were compared to a home with many windows. A window that has a goal with a specific purpose.

Halonen focused on four goals; The first goal is the “elimination of poverty.” The fourth goal is “quality education.” The fifth goal is “gender equality.” Finally, the sixteenth goal is “peace, justice, and strong institutions.”

Most of her presentation focused on the first goal: why poverty is the underlying cause of most global problems and how to begin addressing it. For instance, excellent education and gender equality go hand in hand with reducing poverty since these SDGs and other SDGs are interconnected. 

 

First, getting an education is a great approach to bettering one's life and eradicating poverty in the long term since it increases one's earning potential and decreases wealth disparity. This implies that persons in poverty have a more difficult time bettering their situation due to obstacles such as physical ability, religion, race, and caste. If we zoom down on more vulnerable regions, however, such as Africa, we see that 67.4% of adults from the age of 15 in 2021 have the necessary literacy skills to read and comprehend a short phrase. 

In 2022, Africa has a population of little over 1.4 billion people, and its literacy rate is lower than that of a country like Russia. A total of 143.4 million individuals can read and write at a 99.69% proficiency level by the year 2021. 

There is a significant gender gap in the world's illiterate population, with women making up a disproportionate share. Some nations have nearly female literacy, such as 64% in Burkina Faso and 39% in Niger, while others, such as Afghanistan, have just around 30% of women who are literate.

However, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a problem for women in Burkina Faso, Niger, and other nearby countries. This violence frequently occurs in societies where sexism and patriarchy are prevalent and this issue might serve as a roadblock for women, preventing them from exercising their rights. 

Worldwide gender equality will presently take four generations. All-inclusive, 388 million ladies and young ladies are poorer than men and boys, with the lion's share living in Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Southern Asia, and the Middle East. The plague has raised the perils of GBV over the world, with 13 million additional young girls at the chance of getting to be child brides, on top of the 100 million people who are now in danger. 
If women are not enrolled on social equations, how can they be treated equally? Increases in sexual violence, domestic violence, early and forced marriages, manipulation, and maltreatment of girls and women are being fueled by conflict and displacement in the Sahel area. Not only in Africa but also, in different parts of the world such as Afghanistan, the international community was caught off guard by the rise of the Taliban’s actions toward women in Afghanistan. 

The Taliban's latest statement on suspending women from attending college is emblematic of their larger discriminatory practices. They have restricted the mobility of women and girls, prevented most women from participating in the labour market, and banned them from using public utilities since August 2021. Ultimately, these restrictions keep Afghan women and girls within their homes, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA)

As efforts to engage her efforts and activate this crucial role at the international and local levels are a priority for Her Excellency, Taria Halonen firmly recognizes the value of women's contributions to development. 

In addition, in line with the fifth goal of the sustainable development goals, women must have an all-encompassing goal of growing their participation in the labour market and maintaining their rights in the fields of health and education as part of the decision-making process. Women have an important role in bringing peace to situations of armed conflict, yet their contributions are often overlooked. The effectiveness of United Nations Peacekeeping actions and the maintenance of peace depend on the recognition and incorporation of women's various perspectives, experiences, and abilities in all aspects of UN Peacekeeping operations. 

Despite progress in the number of women in the highest levels of political leadership, the Inter-Parliamentary Union of the United Nations (IPU-UN) reports that gender inequalities persist in several areas in the year 2021. 

However, following a jump of 21.3% of women occupying ministerial posts in 2021, as well as the development has stalled, with just a little increase to 21.9% in 2021. The data also shows that the number of states with no women in government has grown, defying a recent declining trend.
 
Amid record global military spending of $2.1 trillion, funding for women's organizations in combat zones has declined. Presently, women only make up about 19% of peace negotiators in UN-led projects. 

Halonen emphasized the significance of women's participation in peace talks and the value of having female leaders of countries present at the negotiating table. 

Halonen is one of the first in this field and is a member of the high-level advisory board of the Secretary-General on Mediation of the United Nations, therefore, from where she stands, she stressed the importance of the role of women in the peace process. 

Women's involvement in peace-building processes is more than simply achieving parity. Where, women hold just 18.9% of parliamentary seats in conflict and post-conflict countries, compared to 25.5% worldwide, a still-inadequate figure.

In order to address the root causes of conflict, it is necessary to rethink peace-building and come up with solutions that take into account the requirements of all parties involved in the conflict. The goal is to usher in an era of permanent global peace and security by dismantling the systems that sustain and promote conflict. Many of the ills from which people in war zones and poorer parts of the world suffer are easily solvable through education, which should be a basic human right. 

One may say that education is the key to achieving all Seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. 

Since 1960, The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) has ratified the Convention Against Discrimination in Education, which acknowledges the right of all students to an education. Furthermore, the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights of the United Nations has recognized access to education as a human right since 1966.

In conclusion, by expanding access to high-quality education for all, SDG four has the potential to be a powerful tool in the fight against extreme poverty and for raising living standards in developing countries. 

Lack of education, gender inequality, poverty, and global insecurity are the main reasons why states should invest more in education rather than military and armaments warfare.

 Education should be a national priority to eliminate all causes of poverty, gender inequality, and insecurity. 

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela. 

 

Sara AlDhahri

AlDhahri is an international officer at the humanitarian affairs department of the OIC.  She is also, an advocate for peace, security and humanitarian development.