London, 30th January 2012 – Tonight, leading experts in international development said the global community must put women and girls at the centre of development efforts by empowering them to play a more active role in their life decisions and ensuring access to quality, affordable reproductive and sexual health services and education.

The announcement came as Stephen O’Brien, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State for International Development, DFID, Liberian peace activist and 2011 Nobel Prize winner Leymah Gbowee, and representatives from UNESCO and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) gathered in front of ambassadors, government representatives, FTSE 100 Executives and international development NGOs at the Royal Society, in London, to debate the question: “Women’s empowerment and sustainable development – have we failed?”

The debate, led by presenter and broadcaster Zeinab Badawi, was the first in a series of ‘Development Debates’ to be hosted by the International Planned Parenthood Federation, a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all, working in over 170 countries

Tewodros Melesse, Director General of the IPPF said:

“In 2011, the global population reached 7 billion. This presents enormous challenges for development and ensuring that development is both sustainable and more equitable.

This debate is an opportunity to highlight that the ability of many women to contribute to sustainable development is being severely compromised because they are being denied the right to secondary education, essential health services and meaningful employment opportunities.

We are calling on governments to lift the barriers that prevent women from fulfilling their potential to make a meaningful social, economic and political contribution to their families and society. Half of the world are women, yet women are not given a quarter of the power in the world.”

Speaking about the commitment of DIFD to put greater focus on the unmet needs of women and children, Stephen O’Brien said:  “Some people think population is too sensitive to talk about, but we won’t shy away from talking about it. In fact, the UK government is, this year, doubling our efforts to transform the outlook for women and children worldwide through supporting voluntary family planning services. Get it right for girls and women, and you get it right for development.”

Leymah Gbowee, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 due to her role in mobilising women across ethnic and religious divides to end the decade-long Liberian civil war, said the role women play in peace movements is critical to ending conflict and helping to rebuild communities, and called on women to take an active role in empowering themselves, rather than waiting for change. She said: “Women are often associated with weakness and disempowerment. However, during conflict, it’s the women who play the most important roles in providing basic social services, negotiating security for community members and succeeding, on very little resources, to empower the next generation of women.”

To find out more follow the debate on Twitter at #IPPFDebate.

Image: Liberian peace activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Leymah Gbowee (photo courtesy of DFID)