I am delivering this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries. We fully align with the EU statement but would like to add a few remarks in our national capacities.
As global progress on gender equality faces considerable setbacks, we believe it is more important than ever to intensify our efforts to reverse these troubling trends and fulfill our commitment to gender equality. Twenty years have passed since the adoption of the OSCE Gender Action Plan. Today, the OSCE continues to be a valuable platform for its participating States to cooperate on realizing our commitment to achieving gender equality. But, although significant progress has been made, we recognize that there is still considerable work to be done to fully close the gender gap.
Crises and conflicts deepen pre-existing gender gaps. As we speak, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine continues to rage on, inflicting daily suffering on the Ukrainian people, including women and girls. We are deeply concerned about reports of sexual and gender-based violence, as documented also by recent OSCE Moscow Mechanism reports, ODIHR and the UN. We commend Ukraine’s commitment to advancing gender equality while defending itself against Russia’s aggression. Women’s and civil society organizations play an important role in this.
We believe that men's advocacy for gender equality is essential for driving meaningful change. Gender equality efforts must actively involve men and boys and challenge misconceptions about masculinity. In our countries, we have seen firsthand that investment in gender equality leads to both social and economic benefits for all citizens. Advancing gender equality creates positive effects that benefit society as a whole.
Next year, we mark 25 years since the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. We believe that this anniversary will provide an opportunity to reflect on the current relevance of the WPS agenda and assess both the progress made and the gaps to be filled. Based on our positive experience with National Action Plans, the Nordic-Baltic countries fully support the development of an OSCE-wide Action Plan on WPS.
To conclude, gender equality is a human right and our shared obligation and commitment. Without it, there can be no lasting peace, comprehensive security, or true democracy.