56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 3 – Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls
Statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden). Delivered by HE Ambassador Heidi Schroderus-Fox
27 June 2024
Mr President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States.
We thank the members of the Working Group for their crucial work.
We regret that despite progress in a number of countries, the backlash against the rights of women and girls and gender equality is escalating in all parts of the world. Women and girls in all their diversity are continuously facing labour discrimination, disproportionate share of unpaid care work, lack of sexual and reproductive health and rights, sidelining in peace processes and harassment and violence, offline and online, to name a few. Many women and girls experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. Even when legal and policy advancements are achieved, implementation gaps often remain.
We welcome the working group`s focus on achieving substantive and transformative gender equality.
In the digital world we need to ensure that technology responds to the needs of women and girls and that gender stereotypes and discriminatory social norms will not be reinforced through biased digital platforms and algorithmic tools.
What knowledge would be most important for pursuing an intentionally gender-responsive approach in the design and implementation of digital technology, including the development of artificial intelligence?
Thank you!