New York, September 28 (teleSUR-RHC)-- Argentinean President Cristina Fernandez said Sunday the world needs to break the sexist cultural patterns that still discriminate against women around the world, especially when it comes to policy decisions.
Fernandez' statements were made during a forum for gender equality at the United Nations headquarters in New York, where over 150 world leaders gathered over the weekend to adopt the new agenda for sustainable development 2015-2030.
The new Sustainable Development Goals is a set of goals and targets to eradicate poverty and achieve universal equality, what were created to replaced the previous U.N. Millennium Development Goals that came to an end in 2015. The new SDGs have a new target date of 2030.
Fernandez told the gender equality forum that women's rights should not only remain goals in the new agenda, but should be a priority for all governments and communities.
“Empowering women should not be just a matter of obligation [by governments], but a personal conviction by men and of ourselves,” she said. "We need to break the cultural barriers that historically consider women to be inferior to men."
"Beyond economic development, it's necessary to break cultural barriers."
The president also added that economic, political and social autonomy are indispensable for global gender equality. In Argentina, Fernandez has worked deeply to praise the work of women and increase their income, as well as access to jobs and universities.