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CAPE TOWN, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday reaffirmed his government's commitment to the empowerment of women, saying it is one of national priorities and central to the country's development strategies.

"By unleashing the economic potential of women, we are unleashing the potential of our economies to grow and benefit all," Ramaphosa said in remarks to the UN General Assembly's virtual high-level meeting.

The meeting is intended to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.

Designating years 2020 to 2030 as the new Decade of Women's Financial and Economic Inclusion, African Union member states early this year have agreed to put policies in place to increase women's economic participation, access to finance and ownership of land.

"We must provide more financial services to women who run SMMEs (small, medium and macro enterprises) through the provision of low-cost finance, credit lines and digital financial instruments," he said.

Ramaphosa also stressed the need to improve women's representation in decision-making structures such as parliaments and company boards.

Equal representation of women in all structures is not a favour to women, but a fundamental matter of justice and redress, he said.

Despite the progress of women's condition in recent decades, billions of women and girls around the world still face discrimination and marginalization in workplace, at home and in broader society, he warned, adding that gender-based violence continues unabated and is an indictment of the society.

The ratification of Convention C190, the new Convention and Recommendation addressing violence and harassment at workplace adopted by the International Labor Organization, must be prioritized, the president added.

South Africa has a multi-sectoral national plan to provide a coordinated national response to violence and abuse against women, said the president, referring to the country's National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence & Femicide launched in 2019.

He urged that more decisive measures should be taken by all to meet the goals set by the Fourth World Conference on Women. Enditem