Gender Minister Elizabeth Phiri says government has put up significant interventions to eliminate all forms of gender imbalances in the country.

Speaking when she delivered her speech during the launch of the 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York, Phiri said 1,750 000 Zambians had so far benefitted from the social protection programmes.

She stressed the need for governments to break the gender stereotypes and exclusions in global economic and social progression programmes.

This is according to a statement issued by First Secretary for Press at the Zambian Permanent Mission at the United Nations Wallen Simwaka.

Phiri told the UN that government, in its desire to create equal social and economic opportunities among its women citizens, had been implementing social protection systems targeted at improving the livelihood and social status of the poor and vulnerable households in rural and remote communities.

“In the recent past, Zambia has focused on improving access to critical social services and infrastructure such as housing, roads, water and sanitation both in urban and rural communities. This Government believes will help facilitate the desired levels of economic transformation and leverage private investment. It is anticipated that economic infrastructure will open up opportunities for women living in rural areas to venture in economic activities,” Phiri said.

She told Member States that Zambia was promoting and facilitating the establishment of multi-facility economic zones and industrial clusters across different sectors in an effort to bridge the infrastructure gap.

And United Nations (UN) Secretary General António Guterres said gender equality was a fundamental question of power in a male-dominated world.

Guterres said the world needed to attain gender parity in order to change power relations in societies if gender equality has to become a global reality.

He noted that the world was still witnessing a pushback on women’s rights something which contributed to increase in violence against women especially human rights defenders and women running for political office.