2030 Agenda Pledge to Leave No One Behind Has Special Resonance for Widows, Secretary-General Says in International Day Observance Message

Following is UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s message on International Widows’ Day, observed on 23 June:

There are some 259 million widows around the world, and nearly half are living in poverty.  Widows are often stigmatized by their families and communities.  Many suffer discrimination based on age and gender.  Some have lived lives marked by physical and sexual abuse.

Older widows often have few economic assets, after a lifetime of hard but unpaid work.  Even in developed countries, the value of women’s pensions can be some 40 per cent lower than men’s.  Younger widows face other challenges, as heads of households with child-care responsibilities and very limited economic opportunities.

The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, with its pledge to leave no one behind, has a particular resonance for widows, who are among the most marginalized and isolated.

On International Widows’ Day, let us pledge to make widows more visible in our societies, and to support them in living productive, equal and fulfilling lives.