UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday said women's empowerment must be a key priority in a male dominated world.
Addressing the 61st session of UN Commission on the Status of Women, Guterres said empowerment is about breaking structural barriers for women in all walks of life.
"We are all better off when we open doors of opportunity for women and girls: in classrooms and boardrooms, in military ranks and at peace talks, in all aspects of productive life," he said.
Guterres also said women should be recognized as equal at workplace and should be promoted on that basis.
"Our world needs more women leaders. And our world needs more men standing up for gender equality," he added.
The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The priority theme for this year's session is women's economic empowerment in the changing world of work.
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director of UN Women, said virtually all economies rely on the unpaid care and domestic work that is largely provided by women and girls.
"Positive changes in the world of work must enable care work to be valued and to be shared by parents and within the family unit," she noted.
"This will bring about far-reaching positive changes for women, society and economies," she said.
