Women in development
A/RES/72/234
36. Encourages all Governments to work towards full and equal access to
formal financial services for all women, to adopt or review their financial inclusion
strategies, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and to consider including
financial inclusion as a policy objective in financial regulation, in accordance with
national priorities and legislation, encourages commercial banking systems to serve
all, including those who currently face barriers to accessing financial services and
information, and to support microfinance institutions, development banks,
agricultural banks, mobile network operators, agent networks, cooperatives, postal
banks and savings banks, as appropriate, also encourages the use of innovative tools,
including mobile banking, payment platforms and digitalized payments, and the
expansion of peer learning and experience-sharing among countries and regions,
including regional organizations, commits itself to strengthening capacity
development for developing countries, including through the United Nations
development system, and encourages mutual cooperation and collaboration between
financial inclusion initiatives;
37. Urges Governments and all relevant stakeholders to take all appropriate
measures to eliminate discrimination against women with regard to their access to all
types of financial services and products, including bank loans, bank accounts,
mortgages and other forms of financial credit, regardless of their economic and social
status, to support women’s access to legal assistance and to encourage entities in the
financial sector to mainstream gender perspectives in their policies and programmes;
38. Recognizes the role of microfinance, including microcredit, in the
eradication of poverty, the empowerment of women and the generation of
employment, notes in this regard the importance of sound national financial systems,
and encourages the strengthening of existing and emerging microcredit institutions
and their capacities, including through the support of international financial
institutions;
39. Urges Governments to ensure that microfinance programmes focus on the
development of savings products that are safe, convenient and accessible to women
and that support women’s efforts to retain control over their savings;
40. Recognizes that women and girls account for almost half of all
international migrants at the global level and the need to address the special situation
and vulnerability of migrant women and girls by, inter alia, incorporating a gender
perspective into policies and strengthening national laws, institutions an d
programmes to prevent and combat gender-based violence, trafficking in persons and
discrimination against women and girls, and calls upon Governments to strengthen
efforts to protect the rights of, and ensure decent work conditions for, domestic
workers, including migrant women and girls, in relation to, inter alia, working hours,
working conditions and wages, and to promote access to health-care services and
other social and economic benefits;
41. Also recognizes the special needs of women and girls living in areas
affected by complex humanitarian emergencies and in areas affected by terrorism,
and that global health threats, climate change, more frequent and intense natural
disasters, conflicts, violent extremism, as and when conducive to terrorism, an d
related humanitarian crises and the forced displacement of people threaten to reverse
much of the development progress made in recent decades and have particular
negative impacts on women and girls that need to be comprehensively assessed and
addressed;
42. Encourages Member States and the United Nations system to ensure
systematic attention to, recognition of and support for the crucial role of women at all
levels and at all stages in the prevention and resolution of conflict, in mediation and
peacebuilding efforts and in the rebuilding of post-conflict societies, inter alia, by
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