The High Commissioner urged States, parliamentarians, the media, civil society, the private sector and every active citizen to take action, laying out a series of steps that need to be taken starting with tackling the root causes of gender-based discrimination.

He said there needed to be greater emphasis on education and awareness-raising and called for the greater recognition of the value of unpaid care work which disproportionately falls on women.

He called for consideration to be given to quotas, reserved seats and training opportunities to be expanded for women serving in legislative bodies and other key institutions, as well as the private sector.

Zero tolerance of harassment

UN treaty bodies need to keep the push going for gender parity, and zero tolerance against harassment and violence relating to women in politics, including online, needs to become the norm.

And women role models need to have greater visibility, Mr. Turk said.

“At the current rate of change it would take 155 years for women to close the gender gap. This struggle is even harder for historically marginalized women whose representation lags behind.”

“Simply said, this is a wake-up call”, the UN rights chief declared.

“Parity can’t wait. Equal and meaningful participation of women in practice isn’t just about women’s rights to be heard, it is about our societies’ ability to tackle the most pressing crises confronting our world today.”