Women and the 21st Century

Nafis Sadik is executive director of the United Nations Population Fund. This article was written for NPQ's syndicated column, "Summing Up the Century."

New York - At the dawn of the century now closing, the genius of half of humanity was largely untapped. One hundred years later, tremendous opportunities have been opened for millions of the world's women. Many of the most egregious disparities and violations of basic human rights have been bridged. Nonetheless, significant challenges remain. With vigilance, foresight and an unwavering commitment to universally recognized human rights, the 21st can be, and indeed must be, the century in which gender equality becomes a global reality.