Their struggles underline how persistent and pervasive discriminatory social norms, stereotypes, stigma and violence remain, holding back women and girls everywhere from realizing their full potential. Militarism and violent conflicts, the global financial and economic crises, volatile food and energy prices, food insecurity and climate change have intensified inequalities and vulnerability, with specific impacts on women and girls. Dominant patterns of development have led to increasingly precarious livelihoods. The richest 1 per cent of the population now owns about 40 per cent of the available assets while the bottom half owns 1 per cent or less.3 These inequalities—among the triggers of the 2008 economic crisis—have been further reinforced by the subsequent recession and austerity measures.