[New York, 4 March 2010] UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon urged the member states to create the new UN gender equality entity without delay in the session of the Commission on 3rd March that marked the International Women's Day.

"We hope soon to have a dynamic entity for gender equality and women's empowerment within the United Nations system. That would provide more coherent programming and a stronger voice for women. I urge the General Assembly to create this new entity without delay by adopting a resolution," he said.

Ban's statement was cheered at by both the government delegates and the NGO representatives present in the room, and he hoped that the Ambassadors present would have heard the strong support.

The new UN gender equality entity has been the hot topic during the first week of the CSW. Many Member States have called for a swift creation of the entity in their statements, and the entity has been discussed in side events organised by governments, civil society organizations, and UN bodies alike.