A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the 'United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report' argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations. The report published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says many of the estimated 1 billion people living in the 50-60 poorest countries will stagnate as the rest of the world gets richer, and the growing inequality threatens economic development. It, however, notes that the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen dramatically from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Accordingly, it says richer countries have made advances toward equality for women and provided greater access to sexual and reproductive health care over the past two decades but the poorest countries have made little progress. 

 

According to the report, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and more women have access to education, work and political participation today in rich countries. But it says the poorest communities have seen little progress in improving women's status or reducing maternal deaths and child marriages.

 

"Research suggests a significant positive correlation between female education, healthier families, and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth. The entry of women into Eastern and Southern Asia’s export manufacturing sector, among other factors, has been a key driver of economic growth and contributed to a shift in the concentration of global wealth from West to East," it says. The report notes that gains in girls’ educational attainment is contributing to both Asia’s and Latin America’s success in knowledge-based economy.