Development linked to women’s rights, says UN official

At the opening of this year’s CSW, Louise Frechette, the deputy secretary-general, said that “the world is starting to grasp that there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women and girls.”
“Study after study has taught us that no policy is as likely to raise economic productivity or to reduce infant and maternal mortality,” she continued.
A cool thing: Featured in one of the UN buildings (to help celebrate CSW) are pictures and bios of 1,000 women activists from around the world. This project is a part of 1000 Peacewomen Across the Globe, which was started to demonstrate how many women worldwide are worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. The campaign also recently came out with a book featuring all the women–it’s amazing.