By Sewe Ishola,

United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, who is from  Nigeria gave an opening remarks at the Youth Forum of the 61st Commission on Status of Women last week. She talked on the unacceptability of gender inequality and youth unemployment amongst other things.

Mohammed also raised the fact that, it will take 170 years for women to earn equal pay with men, “The barriers are so high that it would take 170 years to achieve economic equality between women and men.  170 years!

I’m sorry but I do not accept a world that says – equality is not good enough for you or me or our daughters.

But maybe – just maybe – it might be OK for our great-great-great-great grandchildren. Well I am just about to become a grandmother and I am really looking forward to the granddaughter we are about to have.”

Below is an excerpt from her speech as published on UN.org

We live in a world that is out of balance.  Eight people hold the same wealth as half of humanity.  All of them are men, by the way.

Joblessness – particularly for young people – is on the rise.  In many parts of the world, it is completely off the charts.  And when you see data that just aggregates a figure, look behind the data to the people, the faces and where they are.

Mistrust and insecurity are growing.  People are feeling left out of the decision making that affects their lives.

We often talk about the youth and their future. But your future is now.

No one faces these stark imbalances more than the world’s women and girls.

No one is forced to confront higher obstacles to opportunity than the women and girls of our world today.

Gender-based discrimination.  Marginalization.  Violence and other human rights abuses.  Unequal access to education … to health care … these are basic rights…and also to opportunities for leadership and participation.  This list goes on and on.

The barriers are so high that it would take 170 years to achieve economic equality between women and men.  170 years!

I’m sorry but I do not accept a world that says – equality is not good enough for you or me or our daughters.

But maybe – just maybe – it might be OK for our great-great-great-great grandchildren. Well I am just about to become a grandmother and I am really looking forward to the granddaughter we are about to have.

I’m not waiting.

I know you’re not waiting.  When I was your age I was never waiting. I was always been told to take it easy or time will come. And I was always thinking my time is now. So, our world can’t wait.

Building a better world won’t happen on its own.

The good news is that we do have a plan. And that plan took four years to bring to fruition. It’s called the 2030 Agenda and it has 17 Sustainable Development Goals –  Global Goals, SDGs.

Goal 5 is to achieve gender equality in every corner of our globe.  And that really means leaving no one behind. Take some time to really look around you and identify who are those no ones, because often they get lost in the statistics. So who is a no one, when we say leave no one behind?

But today the fact is that we won’t meet any of the goals without the full participation of the world’s women and girls. 
 
It is simple arithmetic:  We are assets and will never attain 100 percent of our goals by excluding 50 percent of our assets, our population.
 
It is not just the right thing to do.  It’s the smart thing to do.  For example, every year of secondary schooling a girl receives boosts her earning power by as much as 25 percent. 
 
To put it another way, investing in women and girls pays.  It pays for families.  It pays for communities.  It pays for societies at large. It pays for economies. But most important of all, it pays for girls and women.
 
I look forward to working with each and every one of you. 
 
To ensure the political and economic empowerment of women and girls. 
 
To protect human rights.  Everyone’s human rights. We have since Beijing said women’s rights are human rights. We have to do more than lip service.
 
To stamp out violence in any form, whether it is physical or mental. 
 
And to work in partnership with young men and boys for equality. 
 
It will take everyone and it will take them everywhere.
 
Remember.  Our agenda won’t be realized in New York or in Geneva or in London.  It will happen in our communities back home. 
 
So let’s focus on getting things done. Taking those ambitions into real practicality.
 
Keeping in mind one of my favorite Nigerian proverbs – “Fine words do not produce food.”
 
Rhetoric has its place – but implementation matters – practical action.
 
I am counting on you to be the change agents and torchbearers that we so desperately need.
 
I know that you are well on your way.
 
When I look out today, I do see the future. But I see it now. The actions that you can take as you walk out these doors.
 
It’s a future of equality.  A future of justice.  A future of dignity for women and girls and for all humanity.   
 
Let’s make that happen. “