There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.

Annan argues that women’s full participation is not a niche “women’s issue” but a foundational driver of broad-based development. The claim is both pragmatic and ethical: societies gain economically and socially when women have equal access to education, health care, political voice, and paid work, and men benefit as well through stronger households, communities, and institutions. By calling women “central players,” he rejects token inclusion and frames gender equality as a core strategy for poverty reduction, peace, and sustainable growth—an approach consistent with UN development thinking that links women’s empowerment to measurable improvements in welfare and governance.