Thank you, Mr Chair,
I am speaking on behalf of the following participating States: Albania, Andorra,
Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus,
Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Germany, Iceland,
Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, The Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and my own country, Switzerland.
On Saturday, 8 March, we will mark International Women’s Day. This year the UN
Women’s theme – “for all women and girls” - offers a timely reminder of the
universality of women’s rights and the need for collective action now. We commend the OSCE, its executive structures and autonomous institutions for all their important work in promoting gender equality across all three dimensions.
Mr Chair,
As Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine enters its fourth year, we pay tribute to the strength and resilience of all women in Ukraine. In both military and civilian capacities, they have made vital contributions to the defence of their country. We reiterate our serious concern regarding reports of the Moscow Mechanism, ODIHR monitoring reports, and the UN Commission of Inquiry documenting widespread conflict-related sexual violence that has occurred during this war, and underline the need for accountability.
Mr Chair,
We are witnessing a global push back against women’s rights that threatens to undermine hard-won progress towards gender equality. We must heed UN Women’s call to action for all women and girls and recognise that experiences of discrimination are not uniform. Many women, such as those with disabilities, young women, and those belonging to national minorities experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, exacerbated in times of war and crisis. We call on participating States to adopt an inclusive approach to gender equality that recognises women and girls in all their diversity. We welcome research conducted by the HCNM and the Gender Issues Programme on specific challenges faced by minority women throughout their lives and encourage participating States to implement the recommendations.
This year marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action and Declaration, which clearly articulated the need to involve men in efforts to achieve gender equality. Progress in this area is also threatened. Surveys of young men and women suggest that they are increasingly drifting apart on questions of women’s rights. We must heed this warning and redouble our efforts to engage men and boys as agents of change in advancing gender equality, challenging gender norms and stereotypes and addressing gender-based violence and discrimination. The OSCE Secretariat's Toolkit on Engaging Men in Gender Equality at the OSCE is an excellent example of this. Rigid and stereotypical gender norms also take a toll on men and boys, and achieving gender equality would enable us all to live more prosperous and fulfilling lives. We look forward to the outcomes of the Commission on the Status of Women revitalisation process at the UN and note that the lessons learned may be useful for our own efforts here at the OSCE.
Mr Chair,
A quarter of a century since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, ensuring women and girls’ central role in matters of peace and security, is no less relevant or important. We welcome the Finnish Chairpersonship’s focus on WPS implementation at the OSCE. We also commend the work of the OSCE’s institutions and field missions to this end, including through the WIN project and ODIHR’s CHANGE project. Projects bringing together women engaged in peacebuilding, including the Scholarship for Peace and Security, the Women’s Peace Leadership Programme, and the Dialogue Academy for Young Women, demonstrate the practical impact of the OSCE’s expertise and capacity-building capabilities. We underline the importance of the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of peace processes for viable and sustainable peace, and participating States’ commitment to ensure this.
In concluding Mr Chair, allow me to stress the need for participating States to redouble our efforts to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the 2004 OSCE Gender Action Plan, and support the OSCE’s mandate to promote gender equality. Over twenty years since the adoption of the OSCE Action Plan, it is regrettable that the achievement of gender equality remains a distant prospect. It is likely to remain so until we take action for all women and girls in recognition of the fact that gender equality is a precondition for peace and stability. Thank you.