(Part 1) Parliaments and Beijing +30: Resisting the backlash and shifting paradigms towards gender equality (CSW69 Side Event)

Good morning, everybody.

Good morning.

There's such great energy in this room and so many people making new friends and allies, working on gender. How many words have I used that you're not allowed to use anymore? Good morning, everybody. I'm the permanent observer for the Inter-Parliamentary Union for all of you at the United Nations. And together with our colleagues from Geneva, we put together this meeting. My name is Paddy Torzney. And without further ado, I will introduce the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Dr. Tulia Akson, who is here with us from Tanzania. Welcome.

Thank you so much, Paddy. Nyaradzei Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System, coordination and programs results, UN Women. We are very grateful, Madam. having you with us, but here we also have the President for Women in the IPU, Cynthia Lopez. Paddy, who goes first, me or Cynthia? Cynthia, you take the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. Thank you, Madam President, our dear President Tuli Akson, also President of the Assembly of Tanzania, and third women president of IPU. Thank you so much for being here. Madam Deputy Speaker, Director from the UN Women, Ms. Gumbon Sambanda, thank you so much for being here. Dear Patti, Ambassador from the IPU in United Nations. dear colleagues, members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to welcome you here in the IPU UN Women Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. I'm Cynthia López Castro, I'm senator from Mexico and president of the IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians, and for many years now, the IPU and UN Women have been working hand to hand to promote gender equality in all levels, locally, regionally, internationally. So our two organizations share the firm belief that without committed parliamentarians and strong gender sensitive parliaments, no progress can be achieved. So our meeting today, with great participation of all of you, it's an excellent opportunity to join forces again and build momentum towards firmer actions by parliaments to reach our common goal on equality. So I would like to take a moment to highlight the exceptional cooperation between the IPU and UN Women, which manifests through our recently launched WIDE project. So this partnership has culminated over years through our collaborative work on key initiatives such as the CEDAW handbook that I saw, Ameline is here, I saw her. Happy to see you, dear Ameline, from the CIDOH. Such as the CIDOH handbook for parliamentarians, the gender responsive lawmaking handbook, and the women's politics in maps. So these invaluable resources stand as a testament to our shared commitment to advancing gender equality and empowering women in parliaments and beyond. So our gathering marks a pivotal moment, 30 years since the landmark roadmap set in Beijing 30 years ago. And I congratulate here the members of parliament that were in Beijing 30 years ago. like Amalia Garcia, senator from Mexico, and other members of parliament that were 30 years ago in the meeting in Beijing. Fighting for this, Amalia, look at this 30 years after we are here celebrating that meeting that you were there. So from legislative rollbacks to rising opposition, hard-won rights are under threat. So now, more than ever, we must stand firm in defending equality, parity, and the protection of women's rights. So today's meeting serves as an opportunity to examine these challenges and more importantly, identify parliamentary strategies to counter the backlash and push forward an inclusive, gender-equal future. They are not quick fixes, but with strong conviction and through robust inter-parliamentary partnerships, as we have here. I also want to say hello to Silvana, the leader from WPL that is here on the back. Silvana, welcome to this meeting. And with these partnerships, we will continue to work together construct a robust inter-parliamentary partnership that transcends political parties' lines, we can push back against setbacks and drive meaningful progress toward our shared goal of a gender-equal future. So our parliaments are pillars of democratic representation through their legislative oversight and budgetary functions. They can turn gender equality from principle to practice, ensuring true inclusivity and progress that resonates to the needs of society. So today, we have the opportunity to explore the progress made over the past 30 years, discuss the state and elaborate on concrete strategies and best practices for building more gender responsive parliamentary outcome. So 30 years ago, it was this meeting in Beijing, fighting for gender equality. Now, 30 years later, we have to analyze what the countries, the parliament, have been doing in gender equality. So in this dialogue, let us reaffirm our commitment to create a world where every individual regardless of its gender, socioeconomic background, status, and beliefs, enjoy equal rights, opportunities, and dignity. Let us seize this moment to catalyze transformative change and pave the way for a more just, inclusive future for all. So to achieve that, we must also continually transform ourselves as institutions so we are fit for purpose and can lead by example. This includes by the IPU plan of action from gender sensitive parliaments. We need parliaments that are sensitive for gender equality. We need parliament that protects, first of all, parliamentarians from violence. So we will share this plan of action that was adopted in 2012. as we market in the assembly in Kigali, 10 year anniversary of our plan of action. So, dear participants, this is an ambitious agenda. We will be today until 6:00 PM, and we will have this full day ahead of us. So I'm sure our meeting today will help us to identify practices discussing generally about our existing challenges and devise ways to overcome them. So, I'm pleased to announce that we have with us, the opening of this event, the President of the IPU, Ms. Tullia Axon, that is the third president woman in IPU in 135 years, and she is the first African president to be in the IPU, so we are very pleased to have you here, Ms. Tullia Axon. Also, we are very pleased to have the members of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians like Pavuna Sovnavic from Serbia, Veronique Riottone. member of the bureau, thanks for being here, all the members of the Bureau of Women Parliamentarians and members of the Executive Committee of the IPU. And also, we are very pleased to have our Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support of the UN system. Thank you, Ms. Gumbonzvada, for being here. It's a pleasure to have you here. So, Madame President Tuli Axon, you have the floor, and thanks all of you for being here.

Thank you so much. Madam Nyaradze Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, United Nations System Coordination and Program Results, UN Women. Madam Cynthia Castro Lopez, President of IPU Bureau of Women Parliamentarians. Speakers and deputy speakers present, fellow members of parliament who are here, and our own Paddy, IPU permanent observer to the United Nations. But I understand we are also having a number of staff from different parliaments who are joining us today. We are very grateful to receive all of you here. It is my great pleasure to open this year's Parliamentary Meeting on the occasion of the Commission on the Status of Women. I am honored to be here among you, colleagues, alongside UN Women, a key partner of the IPU with whom we share the unwavering commitment to advancing women's empowerment and gender equality. Thank you for this unwavering collaboration, Madam Deputy Executive Director. It is a great pleasure to have you with us today. Distinguished participants and guests, a warm welcome to all of you. It is inspiring to see such strong participation from our global community of parliamentarians, coming together to amplify the voice of parliamentarians in the discussions of this CSW. Only by working together can we effectively address our shared challenges: inequality, violence, and discrimination against women and girls persist, and in some areas and cases are worsening. These injustices undermine democracy, sustainable development, and peace. The progress we have fought so hard to achieve is at risk of being reversed. It is our duty, and it is also in our power, to redouble our commitment to women's rights and to accelerate our efforts towards true gender equality. This year marks a historic milestone, 30 years since Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. And Cynthia here highlighted some of you who were there. And Paddy, I have been reliably informed, she was also there. So we are grateful to have some of you here to witness and to also share the experiences of how far we have gone, if we have lived to your expectations, or we have failed, and where we should do better to make progress. As we reflect on this journey, we must acknowledge the pivotal role of parliaments in its implementation. We could not have reached this point without parliamentary commitment and action. Thirty years ago, women accounted for just 11.5% of parliamentarians. Today, that number has increased to 27.2%. In 1995, parity was a distant dream. No parliament had achieved it. Today, six parliaments And just to mention them, we have Rwanda, we have Cuba, Nicaragua, Mexico, where Cynthia comes from, Andorra, and the United Arab Emirates. These have reached gender parity, and the parity objective is now widely recognized as the only way forward. What once seemed aspirational It is now a fundamental benchmark for democratic legitimacy. This progress has not happened by chance, colleagues. It has been driven by determined leadership, inclusivity across party coalitions, and feminist action within and beyond our parliaments. Our institutions have been the driving forces behind turning equality aspirations into concrete legislative commitments. However, one part of the importance of our work and action is to be vigilant. The global landscape for gender equality and accountability has deteriorated in recent years. Not only has progress stalled, but We are also witnessing a backlash against hard-won gains. Women's representation in parliaments is advancing at an acceptably slow pace, just 0.3% increase in the past year, despite 73 parliamentary elections worldwide. The influence of formal accountability mechanisms such as Beijing Platform for Action, CEDAW, CSW, and the SDGs has to remain strong and impactful. Violence remains one of the most pressing threats to gender equality, and parliaments are not immune. 80% of our female colleagues have experienced some form of violence during their career. For many in this room, it is a daily reality. Yet, despite these challenges, Women continue to speak out, to build alliances, and to push forward. Their resilience fuels our collective action and reminds us that change is possible. As we look ahead, it is clear that the fight for gender equality will continue to depend on strong parliamentary action. Without legislative measures, gender equality remains an empty promise. It is our responsibility to ensure that progressive legislative and policy frameworks are not only established, but also protected, well-financed, and enforced to hold governments accountable. This year, we also celebrate another milestone, one that fills us with hope. Four years ago, the Generation Equity Forum was launched with a vision of collaborative policy making that centers women's agency and organizations. Madam Deputy Executive Director, today I would like us to recognize and celebrate this remarkable blueprint for action. UN Women has led the way in fostering Generation Equity Forum as a collective inclusive approach, one that ensures no stakeholder works in isolation. Parliaments and the IPU have played a critical role in this process, using their influence to advance gender-sensitive policies and legislation. A shining example of this impact is the work done through the Generation Equity in defending the ban on female genital mutilation in The Gambia. I recognize the Deputy Speaker of the Gambia National Assembly, who is here with us today, and would like to share with us this victory as a beacon of what we can achieve when we work together. It demonstrates the power of collective action and resolved leadership in tackling gender inequalities and shows that when parliaments, governments, and civil society, and international agencies join forces, Meaningful change is not only possible, it is inevitable. As parliaments, as individual legislators, and as political parties, we must continue to engage with such initiatives to curb any attempts of pushback. We must keep this momentum alive. This demands unwavering commitment. bold leadership, and a steadfast focus on ensuring that gender equality remains at the core of our political and legislative agendas. Dear colleagues, looking beyond Beijing+30, we must recognize that transformative action is urgent. Progress cannot be sustained without structural changes within our parliamentary institutions. The need for gender parity has never been greater. Gender-sensitive parliaments are essential to securing gains and creating the conditions for irreversible progress. We must ensure that our legislative bodies are not only inclusive in numbers, but also in culture, processes, and leadership opportunities for women. In this regard, we welcome the recent adoption of CEDAW General Recommendation 40, which provides authoritative guidance on women's leadership and decision making. Its adoption could not have come at a better time. It reinforces the call for political systems to prioritize parity and to institutionalize gender-sensitive policies. I take great satisfaction in seeing key partners from UN CEDAW Committee at the table for this crucial parliamentary meeting. Ms. Haider, the chairperson of CEDAW Committee, as was recognized by Cynthia, and Ms. Ameline, the promoter of General Recommendation 40, I would like to thank you for being with us today, and we look forward to continuing our fruitful cooperation with you. The commitment to gender equality is embedded in the IPU's political agenda and work. 2025 is a defining year in our work plan, marking an even greater strategic push for gender equality. I am pleased that we will soon launch a campaign calling for transformative action at this crucial moment, for renewed parliamentary commitment across the board. We must act. now, to build a world where equality, justice, and opportunity are a reality for all. Dear colleagues, the responsibility we carry as parliamentarians is immense, but so is the opportunity before us. Through our legislative actions, our advocacy, and our unwavering commitment, we have the power to drive gender equality forward. We must be bold, We must be united. We must be relentless in our pursuit of a world where no woman or girl is left behind. I look forward to today's deliberations. I thank you for listening.

Thank you, madam President of IPU, Ms. Tullia Axon, for your inspiring words. I am now pleased to give the floor to you and woman Deputy Executive Director. You have the floors for these opening remarks.

Thank you. Thank you so much, Honorable Cynthia Castro. Congratulations to you and congratulations to the honorable members in the house. To each one of you. It's actually what we are talking about, stepping forward to offer leadership. And for us, as UN Women, it's such an honor to be here and to support you and to be in the discussion. Let me also congratulate all the women who were elected last year and this year, including the president of Mexico and Namibia, and, and, and. And we also want to congratulate all women who ran for public office, even if they were not elected. We want to congratulate them because the first step of stepping forward is the first step. And also for those who voted for women, we also want to congratulate you, because without the voters, The election will not have women being voted into public office. And for all the feminist, gender-sensitive men who were elected, we also want to congratulate them, because gender equality also requires all of us to take responsibility. Before we came to, we had the fourth world conference, we were in Mexico, for the first world conference on women. So we recognize the leadership of your own country. Dr. Julia Axon. Congratulations. We talk about the history of IPU, and you are the third female to hold this position over a century plus. Progress is too slow. So whilst we celebrate, but we are also saying it's so slow. It's such an honor for me to join you and to appreciate the long, long-standing relationship, Excellences, that we continue to enjoy with the Inter-Parliamentary Union over the years as the United Nations. And as UN Women, we are also celebrating our 15 years. Since that resolution establishing UN Women, and within that long history of the United Nations and of UN Women, the issues before us on representation, participation, inclusion, and the role of parliament has always been very, very central. It's a tradition. which is embedded in the understanding that for us to advance gender equality, women's rights, and empowerment, the role of the law and of Parliament is central. In every resolution that is made at the United Nations in relation to the Commission on the Status of Women, it always includes that element of and ensure appropriate and relevant legislation to advance whatever issue it is. So there is an embeddedness in the reality on the role of parliaments in the work that we do. Yes, I was also in Beijing, and those who were in Beijing, I think we may have met in the corridors. I was still a very younger woman then. I'm not disclosing my age, but it was really a very exciting exciting, exciting moment. I was a young lawyer, passionate, from my country, Zimbabwe, wanting to see the meaning of freedom from the essence of the law, understanding that the international normative framework and space is another space for that freedom to be expressed, For the international human rights law to be crafted, to be strengthened, to be enhanced, for there to be global standards which inform and shape our regional standards. which inform and shape our national standards. So today, I also just want to celebrate the legislative work happening at the regional level around the work on violence against women, to really thank all the countries in Europe where the Istanbul Convention on ending violence against women. It took legislative work to have the Belém do Pará Convention for Latin America, and Africa is just celebrating the Convention on violence against women. I'm expressing this profound commitment of legislative work at the regional level because it's anchored in the national level efforts and the role of parliaments. Congratulations. We are today saying progress has been made, but it's slow. Yes, making progress is important, but it's insufficient if it does not translate to the protection of human rights, to the enjoyment of those human rights, to the substantive equality that we strive for. We know that a girl born today will wait 68 years to be 68 before we can actually see the eradication of what is called child marriage. I'm asking my legislators, all of you today, To look for another term, the law cannot continue to sanitize and rationalize rape of our children by calling it marriage and child marriage. The naming we put at law defines the sentences that the judiciary will provide. By calling it a marriage, we can just have community sentence instead of a ****** being named a ******. We understand some of the social issues underlying this issue, but as somebody who served for many years as the African Union Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage, we look up to the legislature for defining crime against women appropriately. And this is the essence of where we are today in the Beijing 830. According to the data that we have, and we're looking forward to the exciting launch of the politics map, which would say where the women are and how we are looking at the moment in terms of parity. We are very conscious that the targets set at Beijing, we are yet to achieve. While there's been progress in a number of countries, but we are yet to see progress in all the countries. It's not about some, it's also about all that we want to see. Only 25 countries are led by women, and 106 countries never had a woman leader. Women represent less than a quarter of cabinet ministers who lead ministries, and only nine countries have achieved parity in their cabinet. Nine only. We can count on our fingers. And cabinet is also about appointment. So it means there's that accountability on achieving that parity that we are looking at and which needs to, which we have to look at the importance of accelerating. It's important as UN Women, we continue to encourage member states to reach out and to call for you to increase and support and address the barriers that limit women's participation. Distinguished leaders, your excellencies. You champion legislative reform. Today, we celebrate with you the decision that as member states you made yesterday, the adoption of the political declaration at CSW 69. The adoption of the political declaration in the context of rollbacks and regressions on gender equality. The adoption by consensus was a clear expression by Member States, by all of you, by our governments, to say gender equality is a fundamental principle of the rule of international law. It's not just an ideology. It is embedded in international human rights law and humanitarian law. It was a clear message that human rights are key. It was a clear message around empowerment. Thank you for asserting a clear message that informs national legislative work that we need to continue to support. The role of parliament is also around money. I was even thinking about it in my local language. You approve budgets. Our data as the UN is saying in 2023, $4.3 trillion was spent on military expenditure when 119 million girls were out of school. We are asking you, as you approve these budgets, Protect the rights of women and girls. Advance gender equality. Invest in public services, education, health care, nutrition, food. Reduce military expenditure and invest in human security. Because human security secures our nations more than military expenditure. Because you ask us, how are we protecting women's rights and from gender-based violence in conflict? We are asked that question. Our eyes are we are hating when we see the wars in Ukraine, the gang violence in Haiti, the situation in DRC, in Sudan. And we are asking, can you just buy one helicopter less and make sure that local school and that local clinic has the necessary services? We are asking, we are appealing, we are begging you, because you are the parliamentarians who listen and represent the people. The people are hurting. The women and girls need peace. because that is what is in the Charter. It is the role of Parliament in approving budgets, in resource allocations of our nation. We recognize and appreciate the work that CEDAW is doing, extraordinary work on recommendation 40. Congratulations on parity. We are also looking forward and we continue to work with CEDAW on general recommendation 41. which is around social norms and gender stereotypes, because these are the ones which then become embedded in the law. Let history remember 2025 as the year we refuse to back down, because that was your decision yesterday, by simply adopting by consensus political declaration at CSW69, you are saying, We refuse to go backwards. We are moving forward in advancing the imperatives of the Charter of the United Nations, the imperatives of the Charter that speak to non-discrimination, the imperative of the Charter that speaks to equality of all people, all nations, the imperative of the United Nations Charter that speaks to peace and to development, and we are saying with parity, with gender equality, with women's rights, we will continue together to achieve those imperatives that we agreed in 1946 and enhanced by CEDAW in the Beijing Platform for Action. We also want to appreciate and recognize all the partners who support this work. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much. As UN Women, we appreciate so much the collaboration with many partners, including some of the programs with the EU, with IDEA, and the extraordinary work by many, many colleagues who advance this work. Thank you, Julie Ballington on my team, Rumbi Zai in IDEA, and many others, to just to say, we appreciate everybody who lifts their head and to make this possible, and together. And as parliamentarians, you are creating the tapestry of the world we need, a world of peace, a world of equality, of justice, and of dignity for all. I thank you.

Thank you. our Deputy Executive Director from the UN Women, from your inspiring words and your testimony that you were there in Beijing 30 years ago with Senator Amalia, and maybe if there is another one member of parliament that also was in Beijing, it would be good to know it. But congratulations for all your words. Thank you so much. I will give you the floor to the IPU President to present the The President, you have the floor.

Thank you, Cynthia. I'm going to ask the Deputy Director, the Deputy Executive Director that we do this together. No, it's okay.

It's okay.

It's okay. We will wait. Because the map will be behind her. Okay.

Thank you.

She can see it on the screen?

Yes.

Okay. Okay.

I can stay here.

Okay.

Yes, I did.

Okay.

Colleagues, we are proud to once again join forces with the United Nations Women, UN Women, to launch the 2025 edition of the Women in Politics Map. This partnership is more than just a collaboration. It is a powerful alliance in the fight for gender equality. a shared commitment to tracking progress, exposing barriers, and driving real change. Alongside the Deputy Executive Director, I am honored to officially launch this year's edition. We deeply value this partnership, and we are determined to strengthen it further as we push for a world where women's leadership is not the exception, but the norm. As we stand at the start of 2025, the data tells us a mixed story. There's good news to celebrate. We have seen historic firsts. Some of the examples are the first directly elected women presidents in Mexico. We also have that same example in Namibia. And this is also shared by North Macedonia. More women leading parliaments as speakers, including myself, and deputy speakers who are here with us today. Some countries reaching gender parity in government. These are achievements worth celebrating. But what is the reality? Progress is far too slow. Women still hold only 27.2% of parliamentary seats, and their presence in government has actually declined. Just 25 countries have a woman head of state or government, and in over 100 nations, no woman has ever held the top job. Even in cabinets, women's representation is slipping. with fewer gender-equal governments than last year. And when women do make it to the table, they are still too often declined male-dominated portfolios like finance, defense, and foreign affairs. This is not just about fairness. It is about better governance. More inclusive decision-making leads to stronger policies. greater trust in institutions, and better outcomes for all. Dear colleagues, we must use this data that is presented to you as a call for action. We need bold steps, not just incremental progress, to achieve true gender equality in political leadership. Let's take this mark back home. not as a static snapshot, but as a roadmap for change. Because 30 years after Beijing, the world is still waiting for the full promise of gender equality to be realized, and we cannot afford to wait another 30 years. Now, you have all seen the map, and we believe, as parliamentarians, You will use this as a tool in your respective countries, in your respective parliaments, to make a case for women's equality, for gender equality in all spheres of life in your respective spaces. You will find these copies of the map available near the entrance to this room, and of course, Some of you who are tech-savvy, you will find that on our IPU website. So, the map is there. I'm going to stand next to my sister, the Deputy Executive Director, to launch it officially. So, the 2025 map for women in politics is officially launched. Okay, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Sahar.

Thank you so much. Thank you, Sahar.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Okay.

They're still taking the picture.

Sorry, yes, we are.

Can they put the map again, please? Thank you so much. So, we thank you once again for your presence with us today. So now, colleagues, before we begin, And you can, if the delegations that want to participate, please press the button of your microphone so I can begin with the list here in the computer. So allow me to bring your attention for a general point. You can find documents from relevant discussion on the table at the entrance. And I also will ask IPU to put some maps. I don't know if we can put some maps, Alessandro and Paddy, if they can put some maps for you in the entrance. Also, let me tell you that this event is being live streamed by the UN Web TV and can be accessed via the IPU website. So we will have two sessions. During these panelists, we will share their insights. So the first session will focus on the state of women in politics over the past 30 years, which share experience from a number of parliaments. So before we break for lunch, we will have a special segment focusing on the new General Recommendation 40 of the UN CEDAW Committee on achieving equal and inclusive representation of women in decision making. And the second session will be held this afternoon, after lunch, focusing on the sit-backs and dangers posed by pushbacks that that hinder progress on gender equality and women's rights. So we will discuss key pushbacks, the force behind them, and the harm they cause. So each session will be moderated, and if delegations want to participate, please turn off your microphone in green. And the list -- oh, now we have participants. Thank you. Now, thank you, Christine Hafford, for being with us. Thank you so much for being in this panel. And we will be accepting questions and interventions. So, colleagues, this was the end of the opening session. I will now call the panelists of the first session to come to the podium and take their seats, please. So let me tell you also that interpretation is available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and I think we have interpretation in Korean provided by their delegations. Okay. So the participation, so everyone can participate, will be for two minutes. Please focus on the time so everyone can participate in this debate. So, this session will examine the progress and challenges in women's political participation over the past 30 years, using the latest data and insights from the IPU recent publications, including the IPU UN Women map that we will request IPU if we can have some maps It's coming. Here, okay. The maps are coming, so it's a possibility, so we can put the maps on their places. So you will have this map of 2025. So I am pleased to have the distinguished panel of experts and leaders who bring a wealth of experience in advising women's political participation. I welcome all of you to our panel. We will aim to unpack the progress, challenges, and strategies for ensuring greater political representation for women worldwide. So we will start with introductory presentations, and then We will have Lashell Adderley, President of the Senate from Bahamas, welcome here. We will have Nafisa Shah, Chairperson of the National Assembly of Pakistan, Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, welcome. And we will have Honorable Ogbara, member of parliament from Nigeria and chairperson of the House of Committee on Women Affairs and Social Development. So we will begin this session. So this session, we look the progress of women's representation, and we will look some data. we will look at some data. Data, as they have said, is power, and it allows us to measure achievements, identify gaps, and push forward. That's why I'm particularly proud that this year, women in Parliament report does not only assesses the past years, but also maps the progress made and trends observed since 1995, the year Beijing Declaration and Platform Action set our ambitions in motion. So the report has served as our parliamentary map that you will have it, and how is the progress for the 30 years. So now, We have this presentation, it's women in parliament, 30 years, a recap of 30 years from 1995 to 2025. So we have moved, imagine, 30 years ago, we were 11% of women in parliaments. So this, and now we are 27%. So this is a significant leap considering women continue be more representative in parliament. So here, I think here, can you see this presentation? The Americas remained at the forefront of this progress. The Americas remain at the forefront of this progress, leading the way globally. And also, we have here Europe, Africa, Pacific, and Asia. So this progress is not just numerical, it is also conceptual. In 1995, no parliament had achieved gender parity, and today, parity is a reality in six parliaments worldwide, including, proudly, my country, Mexico. So, Also, parity is no longer an ambition for the few. It has become an accepted norm we all acknowledge and must work toward. This is a victory in itself. And here, we have how we have in this table the numbers, how was in 1995 and how is in 2025. So You will have also this presentation, and it's also in the IPU website. So to accelerate this progress, we must harness the assets available to our parliaments, our societies are more connected and informed, and also the new General Recommendation 40 of the CEDAW Committee offers the necessary guidance for a charge for work based on parity. So this table, it's we can see the progress between 1995 and 2025. So change must happen, and both from the bottom to the top, we need leaders who foster condition for progress. We need more speakers, we need more presidents, we need only 11% of the prime ministers and presidents of all around the world are women, so we need more women to be We need more women as speakers. We need more women as a president of the defense committee, of the budget committee. We need more women as political leaders. We need more women on the front. And I think this progress is, of course, it's political progress. proud for all of us, but if we continue at this level, we need 80 years to have parity, 80. So all the countries in the world have parity. So we need to keep working very hard in quotas, in political participation, so we can have gender equality in parliament, a parity in parliament as soon as possible. Now we have parliaments in the world that just have one woman MP or two women's MP. So we need to increase our numbers in parliament. So, dear colleagues, this data is clear, progress is happening, but it's not guaranteed. We must work very hard to accelerate change, ensuring that gender parity is not an aspiration, but an enduring reality in every parliament. So these tools is to measure gender quotas work, and in parallel, we need diverse voices, young women, women from marginalized communities, and for all backgrounds. Inclusion makes parliaments stronger. So next week, I'm happy to announce, well, not next week, this week, on Friday, we are having the first conference of women parliamentarians in my country, Mexico, with our first president, the president Claudia Sheinbaum, so a lot of you will be there. Thanks for coming to Mexico, and ones that are not coming, we wait you very soon in our country. So this meeting is a paradigm shift of how women MPs, we are progressing. So with this data in our hands, we now have the power to turn insights into action. So thanks for being here. I will I will share this data to all of you. Also, let me remember that we have IPU WhatsApp group chat, so if you want to be there, now we are 160 MPs from all around the world, so if you want, we can share and you can join to this group. Thanks our President Tullia Axon, and thanks all of you. And in all parts of the world, it's time for women. Thank you. So now, I will give the, we are honored to have here also Ameline from CIDAW, but I will give the floor to Ms. Lashell Adderley, is President, proudly, of the Senate of Bahamas. Our dear speaker, you have the floor.

Thank you so much.

Thank you. Good morning, everyone, and thank you, Madam Moderator. Sincere gratitude is extended for the kind invitation to address this august body on the occasion of CSW69. As we examine Parliaments and Beijing+30 and share observations on a vitally important topic, women's political participation, progress, setbacks, and lessons learned for a way to achieve parity. It is my hope that parliaments will collectively and individually accelerate action. The Beijing, by way of background, the Bahamas Parliament is bicameral and was established in 1729. It is the third oldest parliament in the British Commonwealth after Westminster. It was just a mess 63 years ago when women obtained the right to vote. It is my belief that parliamentary age should equally and unequivocally reflect democratic maturity, advancement in human rights, diversity, inclusivity, and gender equality, all of which undergird attainment of sustainable development goals, women empowerment, and gender-sensitive budgets. In turn, this enables the citizens to fully contribute to a country's growth, development, and decision-making progress. The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action has been the most progressive agenda for the advancement of women and girls, and in so doing, has changed the trajectory of women's lives worldwide and in my country, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. For the first time in our young democracy, which was established in 1973, three women currently serve simultaneously as Governor General, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate. Perhaps we are the only country in the Caribbean where three women hold important constitutional roles in the government. During the last 30 years, 86% of the presidents of the Senate have been women, and the current Senate comprises of 31% women. all of which are in line with the Beijing Declaration. Out of the seven women who were elected during the 2021 general elections, five became cabinet ministers, representing 23% of the cabinet, one was appointed ambassador to CARICOM, and the other elected speaker. Notwithstanding the current political landscape, Women representation in the Bahamas is lagging behind the regional and global averages, with only 18% of women elected to the House of Assembly. These appointment of women to the House of Assembly and the Cabinet demonstrates strong support to gender equality by the Bahamas current Prime Minister, who is committed to nominating at least 30% women. Comparatively speaking, only two Caribbean countries, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, have attained the Beijing platform for action critical mass of 30%. Jamaica fell short by 1% in women political representation, so they have 29%. Notwithstanding some progress, gaps and barriers still exist. and challenges persist in relation to political participation by women. These disparities are unacceptable and require steadfast and bold systematic change. We must move with haste towards our road of human rights and gender sensitive parliaments. Barriers or impediments to women political participations have been noted as follows: gender bias and stereotypes, financial and economic barriers, threats of violence, and in particular, artificial intelligence. Women in politics experience challenges in relation to deep fake videos, disinformation, and tech facilitated gender based violence, all of which places significant pressure on an already underfunded campaign. Threats of violence are extremely daunting and discouraging to young girls and women who may be interested in politics. Another barrier is political party structures, family life issues, challenges, and lack of support from other women. A role as parliamentarians. include pushing for legal reforms that have had notable success towards parity in politics. Equality in women political participation and leadership in political and public life are vitally important to obtaining sustainable development goals by 2030. Legal reforms can include implementation of gender quotas, Electoral gender quotas have successfully and significantly increased women representation in the political arena. Countries such as Rwanda, Bolivia, Grenada top the list of countries implementing quotas and reserving a specified number of seats, not just seats, but winnable seats for women. Bolivia went a step further and approved a new constitution where gender equity is one of the fundamental values of the state, enacted laws against political violence and harassment of women, a substantial and significant step in the right direction. Parliament, by way of its Human Rights Committee, can launch an audit that will review barriers to representation and participation and make recommendations for greater diversity and inclusion. It is anticipated that the recently formed Bahamas Parliament Human Rights Committee will consider such audits. A major impediment towards political participation by women is fundraising and campaign finance. Women often struggle to run an effective campaign due to lack of funding, which limits the effectiveness of their campaign. There needs to be enhanced financial support for women at the party level so that they can effectively manage their campaign. In closing, we as women parliamentarians have the power to advance the Beijing Platform goals as a matter of national progress, democratic strength, human rights, and justice. Ruth Bader Ginsburg said it best. She was a former United States Supreme Court justice. Women belong in all the places where decisions are being made. It should not be the exception. I therefore, as President of the Bahamas Senate, stand committed to continuing the fight for gender equality and inclusivity. not just as a politician, but as a woman who believes in the power of women to lead, to inspire, and to transform any nation. I thank you.

Thank you so much. Madam Speaker, President of the Senate of Bahamas, Ms. Lashell Adderley, for your participation. Thank you so much. Now, I give the floor to Ms. Nafisa Shah, Chairperson of the National Assembly of Pakistan Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming. You have the floor.

Mic on? Yeah. Honorable Cynthia Lopez Castro, Chairperson of the IPU Bureau for Women, my fellow colleagues on this table, and of course, parliamentarians, women parliamentarians across the globe. Assalamu alaikum and good morning. This year, 2025, marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted in 1995 by 189 governments as a comprehensive blueprint for advancing women's and girls' rights globally. While we assess the pushbacks and look minutely at where women are in the decision making and representation, it is no small accomplishment that Pakistan was represented at this significant forum 30 years ago by the first woman to become prime minister of a Muslim country, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. Let us remember that that was 30 years ago, and that at that time, Benazir Bhutto had already become the Prime Minister for the second time. 2025 also marks the 40-year anniversary of the IPU's Forum for Women Parliamentarians. I want to congratulate Honorable Cynthia. The forum has been instrumental in steering the IPU's gender equality work and amplifying women's voices in the organization. It is also encouraging that the head of the IPU is none other than our own colleague, a woman parliamentarian, Honorable Tullia Accens. The theme of the IPU, while welcoming the progress and all the gains that we have made, cautions against the challenges and setbacks. The IPU report shows that in the last three decades, The membership of women increased from 11.3% to 27%, which is good progress. However, these year's elections, the 2024 elections, have slowed down the progress, as reported in the IPU study. Ladies and gentlemen, each country case study has its own story to tell. Each number has a history. In the case of Pakistan, representation reached a peak of 22%, but has actually now gone down to 17% in 2025. However, the numbers are reduced due to an electoral and legal dispute over reserved seats representation, which if resolved will take the number back to 21% in the lower house. Obviously, that is not ideal still. Pakistan made progress towards closing the gender gap of women voters in last 10 years. from 12% to 7% due to legal changes, which was protecting women voters, enrolling them, and pushing gender disaggregated data. Despite reduction of our numbers, women's parliamentary performance is exceptional. Women constitute 17% of the House, but do 49% of the business. I can safely say that women, the Pakistani women parliamentarians, hold half the Parliament. In the National Assembly, they initiated 55% of the agenda. So when IPU's unpacking the numbers, it's also important to look at the parliamentary performance of women parliamentarians, which is the point I want to make here. Besides, in Pakistan, there are two important bodies upholding the gender agenda. While the Bipartisan Women Parliamentary Caucus has gone through its fourth cycle of elections in the last decade, the Gender Mainstreaming Committee has recently been constituted as a prime oversight body on the executive performance vis-à-vis gender. Members of the Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, the UN Women map and the IPU report numbers highlight the present state of affairs and provide ample evidence of where we are at in terms of gains and losses. In 2024 elections, at least 70 chambers, women's overall representation decreased as compared with the previous elections. Mexico did exceptionally well with a woman president and around 50% of the members of parliament. In Iceland, both the president and the prime minister are women. And in Africa, two women reported first ever woman presidents in Namibia and Democratic Republic of Congo. But IPU, and as members of the IPU, we now have to strategize beyond numbers and beyond firsts. Our targets should not just be to track the numbers as an end in itself, but to track equality and empowerment. It may also be time we ask to ourselves, to what extent is the increase as a result of special measures such as the quotas? And does empowerment automatically come with increase in representation? For sustainability, as a premier forum for women's representation, IPU must examine whether quotas and special measures are alone going to make sustainable changes, or do we need to look at systems, structures of democracy, the way we do politics, and the overall indicators for women's rights? This makes it imperative to identify barriers blocking progress of women's representation and how they can be addressed. Authoritarianism and pushback on democracy and political instability itself has led to shrinking of space for women. For instance, in Pakistan, violence against women has increased with the rise of extremism. Pakistan has experienced several pushbacks on the rights agenda. Shaheed Benazir Bhutto fell victim to extremist violence in the aftermath of war on terror. This one assassination was a pushback not just for women of Pakistan, but all over the world. The biggest pushback against women's rights is war and conflict. As a parliamentarian from a region in South Asia that has been engulfed in decades of war, civil strife, and political instability, I have experienced and witnessed how all this contributes to extremism, intolerance, conservatism, which further shrinks women's rights to marginalization and exclusion. While scrutinizing numbers in the parliament, we also often fail to look at political parties, which hold the key to change. The decision-making systems and structures in political parties are still largely driven by patriarchal norms. The overarching patriarchal nature of political institutions can result in marginalization of women's voices. Decision making, and finally, we must also assess the overall status of women and girls, access to literacy, health, education, financial inclusion, which may present themselves as barriers to sustainable representation of women. For countries who have broken the glass ceilings, who have made conscious steps, either electoral quotas, either through electoral quotas or gender quotas, can serve as motivational examples for others. However, yeah, I'm finishing. The 30-year time perspective shows that not many countries that started out on the top have remained on the top, which allows us to question on whether just use of quotas is a sustainable way forward or that other strategies should accompany the quotas. I have no doubt the numbers of women representatives and empowerment are connected, but should numbers alone be our goalpost? How is representation gendered in the parliament, in political parties, and in constituencies? Finally, it's It's important for our parliamentary forum to understand what they call the lived reality of women in politics and parliament both. With increase in the number of women in the parliament, there needs to be a study of discrimination within the parliament. There are likely to be surprising results. I'm aware, for instance, that in our own parliament, while gender quota has been in place for nearly two decades, there is a strong sense of men and women being treated differently. Ultimately, women's political participation is not just about tracking numbers. protecting, upholding, and promoting women's rights. Therefore, each stop of pushback must be noticed and responded to to preserve, protect the space gained and achieved. Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Nafisa Shah, Chairperson of the National Assembly of Pakistan Committee of Gender Mainstreaming. Thanks for your inspiring words. Now I have the last panelist, is Honorable Kafidla Ogbara, Member of Parliament from Nigeria and Chairperson of the House of Committee on Women Affairs of Social Development. You have the floor.

Thank you very much. I bring you Warm greetings from the President of Nigeria and the leadership of the National Assembly. First of all, I want to recognize the President of the IPU, my darling sister, Tullia Axinn, the moderator, Cynthia Castro, and all other protocol duly extended. It is both an honor and privilege to be part of this distinguished panel at such a critical time in our shared global journey. towards gender equality in political participation. Let me begin by expressing my deep appreciation to the IPU once again, the UN Women, for convening this important session. Your continued commitment to promoting women's leadership and inclusion globally inspires our national efforts and strengthens our resolve to press further. In Nigeria, we recognize that inclusion in governance is fundamental to democracy, while the journey towards achieving gender parity has not been without challenges. I'm proud to highlight the progress that is being made steadily, but not yet with desired results. We have witnessed the emergence of more women in strategic, political, and public service roles, including chairpersons of important legislative committees. the National Assembly. These achievements are supported by national gender policy frameworks, legislative advocacy, and increased civil engagement by women and girls across the country. The leadership is committed. At the legislative arm of the government, and of course the executive, because we have a president that is very gender sensitive, and of course the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the senior presidents, they are committed to ensuring that we have better representation of women in leadership positions. And of course, we do not have a better time than now, because the political will exists as we speak in Nigerian government today. At the legislative level, we have continued to champion policies. that protect and empower women. The National Assembly, through platforms like the Young Parliamentarians Forum and the Women in Parliament programs, have been engaging stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, to promote women's inclusion, mentorship, and safe political participation. But we still have a lot to be done. As we look forward, we must institutionalize our gender quotas with political parties. In Nigeria today, we need a political party reform, and this will go a long way to help our women representation in politics, because when we do our elections, we do not have names of, you know, the participants or the candidates. We have only political parties on our ballot papers. So we need our political parties to be reformed in such a way that they know that they would not be presenting a single gender list to the electoral body, that no list will come from any state and have only men. on the list, and that no list will come from any state for legislative office and have only women on the list, so that they know that there must be gender parity in all that they do. So we are praying and hoping for that political party reform, and the campaign is still on. Our lessons in Nigeria are clear. Gender parity is not a women's issue. It is a democratic imperative. When women lead, societies grow stronger, policies become more inclusive, and generations are inspired to dream and to act. I urge all of us today to reaffirm our collective commitment, not just to advocate, but to act. Let us share strategies, bridge our experiences, and build coalitions that will accelerate the realization of true parity in every parliament, every council, and every decision-making space. In closing, I want to echo the words of the Beijing Declaration. Women's rights are human rights. It is our duty, yours and mine, to ensure that those rights are not only protected, respected, but truly realized. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Honorable Kafilat Okwara, Member of Parliament from Nigeria, thank you so much. So now we have 40 minutes for the debate. So we have the list of countries. We will have two minutes for each country. So we will begin with Chile. You have two minutes. You have the floor.

In commemorating the International Day of Women, firstly, we have to let things flourish. Not allowing equality is killing an innocent person, and this is a major challenge we are facing worldwide. This is why in Chile, for example, we do not have free available abortion. Today, all children who are living in this particular inhuman condition, children who have been made invisible, who do not know the essence of being a woman, many will Women have been taught that they are not truly valuable, and they, rather than acknowledging their difference, they have been told that being a woman is not enough. Countries are legislating so that at a very early age, children become involved in gender identity programs, and unfortunately, in my country, starting with the age of three years old. This impacts girls psychologically and physically, because they are subjected to these violent hormonal treatments. And who suffers from this damage? Quite often, this damage is irreversible. All of this action is a way to deny our essence as women. We have to legislate to prevent and eradicate any form of violence against women, including gender ideology. We need our girls to grow healthy, free, and above all, safe. And therefore, I reject the promotion, dissemination, and implementation of the gender identity programs, which unfortunately have been promoted. runs counter to the physical and emotional identity of girls as women. It has to be removed from our schools, our states, and our legislations. Thank you.

Thank you very much from the parliamentarian from Chile.

Now we have the floor, Amalia García, senator from Mexico.

Honorable Cynthia Lopez-Castro.

Honorable Ms. Castro, colleagues, today we are celebrating 50 years since the meeting on women in Mexico and 30 years since Beijing. We have a gender perspective to all of our initiatives because we exist. Let us change the legal language. Laws have been changed, for example, in the case of Mexico, the right of women and girls to live a life free from violence. We've also developed, implemented, and supported constitutional reform to guarantee parity at all legislative powers in the government, legislative, judicial, and executive. We are at 50 percent parity, and we are part of the decision-making process. We have the first female president in the history of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum. Candidates and the electoral laws require that there be 50 percent of women and 50 percent of men. We've also made progress through initiatives such as the Olympian Law against violence in social networks. We have combatted gender, political-based violence because In public spaces, we have become victims of violence. In the penal code, we have changed our standards so that rape has become a serious crime, a serious offense. Prior to that, in Mexico, in a marriage, there was a terminology used which did not call it rape. Women were exposed to sexual abuse against their will and consent, and that cannot continue. In France, their penal code states that shame creates change. Let us stop being ashamed. No more violence against women. Let us defend the possibility and the right to be present in all public and private spaces where decisions are taken. Thank you.

Thank you very much, distinguished Senator Amalia Garcia.

Was in Beijing 30 years ago and she is here with us today. Thank you. Now has the floor a member of Parliament from Türkiye.

Venerable President, distinguished colleagues, the full and effective participation of women in leadership positions and decision-making mechanism is one of the indispensable elements of democracy to create inclusive and fair policies and strengthening women's rights. The active participation of women in leadership and decision-making is essential for a healthy democracy. When women contribute, we create fair, inclusive policies and strengthen I am proud to share Turkey's long history of advanced women political participation. For example, Turkish women gained the right to vote in local election in 1924. 2030 and in general election 2034, much earlier than many countries now constitute advanced democracies. This early commitment lent the foundation for our progress today. Over the years, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey has played a critical role in increasing women representation in political life. We have witnessed significant progress in the 2002 general election. there were 24 women parliamentarians, 4% of the assembly, while in the general election of May 2020-30, that number rose to 119, representing 20% of the seats. This growth clearly shows our decision to gender equality. Building on this, we are now launching new initiatives, action plans, and practice for future Women Representation, all women empowerment status document and action plan for 2024-2028 are designated to boost women rules in politics, leadership, and decision making. The action plan is built on three key stages. First, we are strengthening the capacity of institutions. Second, we are raising social awareness to encourage more women step into leadership roles. Third, we are conducting research and implementing resolution that supports women participation in political life. Thank you.

Thank you so much. of Parliament from Turquie. The floor is for France.

Madame President, distinguished Deputy Executive Director, President of the IPU Women, Ms. Cynthia, I'm Véronique Orotto, President of the National Assembly Rights for Women. I would like to warmly thank UN Women and IPU for organizing this event, and I would also thank everyone here in the room today. I'm very moved to see so many committed parliamentarians here who are working for parity. That's already a victory we should be applauding. The global geopolitical context is difficult. Anti-right movements are threatening. Conflicts are increasing, but when I see in this room committed people from South America, Asia, Europe, I harbor hope because we continue to act together. I would focus on four points. Firstly, the key role of parity in politics. Every one of you has had your own experience in your country. The participation of women is changing and changes the face of politics. That issue has already been addressed. It gives hope to future generations, and that's essential. In France, mandatory parity in national and local politics has sped up the presence of women in politics, and that is why France has politically and financially supported Recommendation 40 by CEDAW. dear Nicole, making 50/50 parity a universal norm, and I thank IPU and UN Women for leading this. Let us use this common tool. Secondly, the importance of parliamentary diplomacy promoting solidarity and inclusion. France is proud to have a feminist policy. We have a feminist strategy and financing. Let me just show you here, this is our strategy, France's strategy for feminist policy. I remain available to all of my parliamentarian colleagues who want to work with me. We welcome the participation of women in the peace and security process. This is the anniversary of Resolution 1325. We've done a great deal, but we can do more. We are artisans of peace. Thank you.

Thank you very much, Véronique Bellotun. Thank you. Now the floor is for Namibia.

Thank you, Madam President, Senora López Castro, and the delegation, all protocol observers. Women have gained the right to vote and sit in parliament almost everywhere but remain unrepresented, especially in higher offices. The world has come a long way towards achieving political equality. And we should stand again against any drawbacks that would take us back to where we once were centuries ago. Let me applaud those countries that has done tremendously well in ensuring equality or equal representation in their democratic journeys. And we see the role of women in politics gaining attention in some African countries. The likes of Namibia's remarkable historic leadership change and Ghana elect its first female vice president. Within the next 10 days, my fellow women in the world, Namibia will swearing in her first ever female president with the name of Her Excellency, Madam Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. While more progress is needed in other countries, you are welcome to go and attend our inauguration. The case of Namibia and Ghana shows progress and underscore The need for more women in political leadership, although there might be barriers to achieving political equality, there are also present and commendable greater lessons learned in coming this far as women. As women present here today, we are not only challenged by holding the baton of patience that we need to pass on to the younger generation. But we are also challenged to be role models and women that younger generation will wish to emulate. That is what we have to do as women. We need to aggressively condemn violence against women in politics in any form. It calls especially the ones that spring up in digital age. This acts as forces aimed at crushing the political activism and aspiration of women and girls. Women are not minority. They are half of the world's population. We can attestify as we are sitting here. What about others? For political institutions to be democratically legitimate and responsive to all citizens, they must be inclusive of the margin of groups that exist within the population. Female legislators belonging to various backgrounds can therefore bring a wide array of of issues to the table to consideration and propose solution accordingly. Furthermore, any democratic system benefits from having people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences represented in its form, having people from diverse backgrounds and life experiences represented in its political institutions. It enables us to draw on the full array of capacity and skills in the population of shaping policies for the advancement of all, especially women. Female representatives is a matter of equity and human rights. which both must be the cornerstone of any democratic society.

Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you very much, and I wish you all the best of deliberation.

Thank you so much. Our dear friends, our parliament from Namibia, thank you. Now it has the floor, Sna Paunovic from Serbia and member of the bureau. You have the floor.

Thank you, my dears.

Distinguished colleagues, it is a great honor to be part of this meeting that gathers women leaders from all over the world. We are witnessing the fact that women today are boldly walking the paths that were once reserved for men only. In Serbia, There is a high awareness of the importance of gender equality, which is guaranteed by the constitution, and gender equality application is regulated by various legal acts and strategies, such as anti-discrimination law and gender equality law. We have done a lot. Uh, towards equality, we have established the 11th of June as the National Gender Equality Day, uh, through which we send a clear message that we want to improve gender equality and women's status in Serbia in the best possible way. We tend to make women more visible in policy and enable them to exercise their rights to be elected to the highest state positions, which is essential. We need to give women equal opportunities to participate in political, economic, and every segment of life. In this regard, Serbia today is a shining example of high representation of women in positions where decisions are mandated. The government has been headed by a woman for over three terms of its office, and since 2008, we have had women at the helm of the National Assembly in four parliamentary terms. The provisional government is led by a woman. The president of the Constitutional Court is a woman. The governor of the Central National Central Bank is also a woman. and also the public prosecutor of the Republic of Serbia is a woman. Despite the fact that women are not esteemed to be capable enough of being political leaders, women who are in policy at global level are facing special challenges, the threats, sexist comments, and political violence, which may and always and usually does discourage women from engaging in public life. Consequently, many women, unfortunately, opt for withdrawing from public life, which additionally decreases their share in decision-making. This is why we need further reforms. We need to support legislation that promotes equality and increased protection of women in political processes. In order to create a fair, safe, and inclusive political environment for women, more importantly, uh, women need to support each other and rely on each other because. Solidarity among women ensures that women's influence, status, and voice is used in the best possible way. If we present successful women leaders as role models, may help young women believe in their abilities and that they are a valuable asset to the society. It is uh uh uh essential to boost self-confidence of young women, helping them to recognize meetings like this are very important, my dear Cynthia, for all the women of uh. I’m sorry, the delegation of Serbia will not be able to participate in a very important conference that will be held in Mexico, but I’m sure that through our mutual visits, we will establish good cooperation. I wish you successful work. And on behalf of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms. Ana Brnabić, I would like to greet you, and please convey our greetings to the President of Mexico and send our regards to all the members of the conference where we will not be present, but thank you very much. Thank you all.

Thank you, my dear Ms. Paunovic. She has been member of the Bureau, and she – and we want to recognize all your work as a member of the Bureau. Thank you so much for your kind words. Now is the turn from Democratic Republic of Congo. Two minutes.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My delegation is from the DRC. I have the honor to lead it, and I wish to pay my respects to you. Our country has made significant strides in terms of gender equality and women's empowerment with the adoption of a law on the modalities for ensuring the rights of women and ensuring parity. This law prioritizes the emergence of women, both politically and economically. Women are everywhere – in the chamber of the parliament, and me personally, I’m a rapporteur in the Senate. Women are in the government, a government that has 33 percent women. What’s more, it is headed up by a female prime minister, and we’re happy to announce today that the post of Minister of Foreign Affairs, that’s a post that was always reserved for men, is today occupied by a woman. All the Congolese are proud of the diplomatic work that she’s doing every day. Buoyed by their resilience, Congolese women in the spirit of entrepreneurship have all led women to be active in all areas of the private sector, but unfortunately, This picture is darkened by a war that has dragged on for over 30 years and which is imposed by a member state of our organization, and I’ll say what country that is: Rwanda. Our country is being victimized by an unjust war. Women have been raped. Schools today. that have been turned into weapons depots for weapons of war, and women have been raped, the economy has been looted. And today, it should be highlighted that the women that are most empowered today, that are most visible in the area in the east, are the ones that have been most violated Today, what we would like to ask of our parliamentary colleagues from the IPU is solidarity, solidarity in the condemnation of these acts, because it is clear – we’ve heard it today – there’s several tragedies that were listed by the executive director of – the deputy director of UN Women. One must mention the tragedy unfolding in the east of our country, which risks engulfing the entire continent. So this is it, distinguished colleagues. This is what we, the Congolese people, ask for: support, sympathy, to ensure that sanctions are introduced to set an example, that sanctions against our aggressor, which is Rwanda. And the women of Congo must retake their autonomy, which they fought so hard for. Thank you.

Merci beaucoup.

Thank you very much.

Thank you. Republic Democratic of Congo now has the floor. Republic of Korea, two minutes.

Good morning. Distinguished delegates, it's very nice to meet you. I'm from the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. My name is Jin Sun-mi. Today, we are commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Aging Platform for Action. My understanding is that in Korea, we have a very patriarchal society, and we had a very traditional discriminatory family system. So we called it hoju system, which is a system where only the male can be head of that household or that residence. There was various activities to repeal this, and the Beijing platform was a very important platform that allowed us to reform this discriminatory law. And I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in that momentous platform and making this happen in Korea. So thank you very much. In Korea, uh, we have made continuous efforts, uh, and through the, uh, women quota system. The number of women representative in Korea have gradually increased, and last year was the 22nd National Assembly, and we were able to achieve 20 percent. Of course, it's not to the 27 percent average that we see in the world, but it is still a progress for us, and we continue to make systematic changes so that we are moving towards advancement. The Republic of Korea, when we look at the situation, probably you have read the news, there are various challenges that face democracy in Korea at the moment, but the people of Korea have always transformed a crisis into opportunity. We have this So, we believe that this will, this challenge will also be overcome so that we can solidify and strengthen our democracy, uh, and lead to a better transformation in our country in this, uh, process. I believe that through the UN and through cooperation with various countries around the world, and the solidarity that many people mentioned, I think is very important. And in this sense, the Republic of Korea, I want to pledge that we will be in that solidarity as well. And what I would like to add is that Korea is famous for K-culture, K-pop, K-film, various K-culture. And digital advancement is very notable, but there’s a lot of side effects, such as fake news, which leads to sometimes threatening the The rights of women, online platforms which on the surface seem to advance women's rights sometimes leads to and becomes a means to threaten women's rights. And we have to be very sensitive to that. And I believe that this is an area where we need legislative reform, and we hope to learn a lot from other good examples in other parts of the world. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Republic of Korea. Belgium has the floor for two minutes.

Madam Chair, distinguished colleagues all over the world, dear participants, Nine months ago, the Belgian electors renewed the federal parliaments and the entities of the federal institutions. In Belgium, we’ve had a gender quotas for a long time, and since recently, we’ve had a law that calls for alternation of men and women on the electoral lists. From 1995 to 2005, the representation of women increased from 12 to over 20%. Right now, 49% of senators are women, and in the chamber, 42% of women are deputies, which is a slight decrease. At the executive level, however, things are less good. The federal government is currently has 15 ministers, but there are only four women there, which is at odds with gender parity, putting us in around 19th place at the European level. At the local level, See, additional policies are needed. Furthermore, there's a need to clear away obstacles encountered by women once they're elected. Targeted assistance can be part of this, because just like in other sectors, politics should provide a safe working environment for women with no discrimination, sexism, or violence. Women who are politicians are disproportionately impacted by hate, harassment, and other ills, both on- and offline. So measures are needed to avoid women from leaving political life. The media has a key role to play. The guideline on the media could ensure that women are treated on equal footing. are portrayed accurately. We believe that gender quotas can bolster women's participation, but they haven't had as much of an impact on high-level posts such as prime minister and president. So we need to be vigilant in bolstering the political participation of women, because participatory democracy, where the parliaments reflect all of the population, is always a work in progress. Thank you. Ms.

Merci beaucoup.

Thank you very much.

Ms. Thank you. Belium now has the floor for two minutes. Indonesia.

Thank you very much, Honorable Chair, delegates, ladies and gentlemen. Good morning. I am Rahayu Saraswati Jyo Hadikusumo, or Sarah for short, and I am a congresswoman or representative in the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia. I would like to first bring up that we have eight parties in the House of Representatives, and today we have six delegates from two parties representing our house. with two out of the six delegates being our male colleagues as a representation of he for she, or the support of men for gender equality and parity in our country. Because let's be honest, we cannot do anything without the support of our male counterparts for gender parity, and their understanding that women issues are not merely women issues, but humanity's issues is crucial. So I'm glad to see other male colleagues here from other countries with us today. Otherwise, we'll continue to be preaching I am proud to say as well that the youngest Indonesian delegate here with us is 26 years old, from the Indonesian Democratic Struggle Party, and the youngest member of Parliament or House of Representatives in Indonesia this term is 23 years old, from my party, the Great Indonesia Movement Party. However, as amazing as that sounds, we are not blind nor in denial of the truth. We have an open, proportional election system with a non-compulsory election with about 80% participation. There is no spending cap, however. Therefore, it is extremely difficult and expensive to get elected or ensure full participation of women in politics. Three of the women representatives here right now today with you, and both men, are what you would call NEPO babies, or what most in our country would accuse of being a part of the oligarchy. But does that automatically take away our merit or ability to fight for our people? The truth is, through my 10-year experience as a politician, and now as presidium of the Political Women Caucus, it is my opinion that as long as we push for gender parity without paying attention to the fundamentals, such as addressing the patriarchal view within most of our older women, not men, but women generation in our countries, or the provision of support for women-led SMEs so women can gain true financial independence, then this will continue to be a steep uphill battle. And we will depend on women such as myself and my colleagues here who have the financial ability and/or the relatives needed to win the elections. This is to further support the question posed by Ms. Nafisa Shah earlier on the effectiveness of the quota. We have 30% candidacy quota and have steadily increased from 19 to 20 to 21%, but still, this term today, only at 22% participation in parliament or assembly. Yes, I also believe increasing women's leadership is essential to achieving the SDG 5 on gender equality and crucial to advancing broader development goals. I am proud to say that as a survivor, I was one of the few women and men who fought for and passed the law on sexual violence crimes, which serves as a landmark legal framework to address sexual violence in Indonesia. As background, we already have the domestic abuse eradication law, children protection law, and anti-human trafficking law. We have also passed the law on mother and child welfare, which emphasizes the importance of maternal care during pregnancy and childbirth, I was pregnant and gave birth twice during my term, my first term in Parliament, understanding that the first 1000 days of child begins in the womb. Through that law, we have also added an additional three months of optional leave to the three months maternity leave already instated by a previous law, making it six months maternity leave in total. And now the President has included pregnant women in the free meal plan program to ensure the prevention of stunted growth in our babies. And I end by thanking all the women who have paved the way for us, the next generation of women leaders. I thank you.

Thank you so much, Indonesia. Great participation. Italy has the floor. MP Patriarca.

President, dear colleagues, 30 years after the adoption of the Declaration in Beijing, we have to talk about the steps that have been made, but we also have to realize that there are huge gaps that require a greater attention, and it also gives greater significance to our presence here and our role in our parliaments. In Italy, we have our foundation as a principle of equality, which is sanctioned by Article 3, because equality is equality before the law, with a substantial equality to remove the obstacles that are able to impede the realization of actual parity. In Article 51, we see that all citizens of both sexes can have access to elective charges in based on the requisites that were established by our constitution. This has to be a dynamic aspect of equality in order to reach substantial equality. Due to Article 51 of our constitution, the parity between men and women in electoral positions, we have adopted a number of measures in order to adopt this policy within all of the agendas. In addition, yes, in the Italian system, candidates can The admissibility of candidates to be admissible, eligible candidates, must be within the list located in alternative order of gender. We also provide for in the complexity of candidates presented by each list or coalition of lists, no one, neither of the two genders can be represented in a measure superior to 60 percent in the many, also in the measures for equal opportunity in access to elective office is adopted in the regional councils and also in the municipal elections. Women's representative in the Italian Parliament in the current legislature, the 19th, the first with a reduction of the number of parliaments, has reached 33%. This is the result that places us in line with the average of European countries in Italy. Today, we have had three speakers of the chamber and one of the women in this legislature for the first time. The chief of government, the prime minister, is a woman, Giorgia Meloni, whose government sees 25% of ministers are women, 25% as ministers and undersecretaries. And these are the head of the greatest, of the largest opposition party in Italy, is a woman. The representation of women is being increased in all the women's regional assemblies, and in the regional executives, and 28.3% of two Italian legislatures have a woman representative. Thank you.

You have the floor.

Thank you so much, and thank you for bringing us all together today, I wanted to reflect on the last 10 years in Canada since our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office. When he was first elected and we had a gender-based cabinet, many will remember his response to a question was, "Because it's 2015." And since then, our House is currently at 30%, but our Senate has gender parity. And not only does it have gender parity, but there's also a lot of diversity in the Senate. I'm actually joined today by three of my Senate colleagues, well, four, one is in another seat, but I'm really proud of what has happened in the Senate and the representation there. We have had a woman as Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister, as Minister of Defence and Minister of Foreign Affairs. And we created the Department of Women and Gender Equality in 2018, and have gender-based analysis plus that is done on all government policy. We have a feminist foreign policy, and also appointed an incredible Ambassador for Women, Peace, and Security. I wanted to just briefly talk about one of the initiatives that we have, which is the ELSI initiative for UN peacekeeping, which has now become so ingrained within the United Nations. It's about ensuring that peacekeeping missions are friendly towards women, and that can include moving washrooms closer to where the camps are. It's an incredible initiative that Canada initiated and has now become part of the culture at the UN. One of the things, though, that I am really concerned about is not only the recruitment, but the retention of women in politics. We're seeing the rise of misogyny and threats against women in politics, not just in Canada, but around the world. And I really worry. I was talking to a young woman on Saturday, Sunday night, who said she was thinking of running in the upcoming election in Canada, but she was really concerned about the what would happen to her and her family, and she wasn't sure that she was up to it. And it's really unfortunate when that's a barrier to entry, but also to people staying in politics. So I think if our panel is able to respond to things, I think police need to take threats seriously. I think legislation needs to be in place to ensure that police can act on threats made against women in politics, because otherwise we're going to see the gains that we've made start to go backwards. We're already seeing the level of threats rising around the world. That's probably my two minutes. I meant to turn on my timer and I forgot. Thank you very much.

Thank you so much, dear Pam. Senator from Canada now has the floor, United Kingdom, for two minutes.

Thank you, Chair, and I want to thank the panel and the IPU for this very important session. My name's Dawn Butler, I'm the member of parliament and the first elected back female minister in the UK. I think that we are currently at a tipping point in regards to violence against women and girls, and there are influencers and people with power taking advantage of particularly young men and boys. And by doing this, creating an environment of victimhood, it makes all women less safe. In the United Kingdom, currently, a woman is killed every three days by a partner or former partner. Globally, that is every 10 minutes. In the United Kingdom, there was a recent Ipsos poll which showed that 47% of Brits have said that women rights has gone far enough. That is up by 38%. So the situation is getting worse. That is why we're pleased to announce that the United Kingdom has appointed Harriet Harman as a special envoy for women and girls, and Harriet has experiences of both houses. I really do like the fact that somebody said earlier that let 2025 be the year that we refuse to give up. Let 2025 be the year where we stop this epidemic and violence against women and girls, and we stand on the shoulders of the sisters that have gone before us. And I want to end with, for all the women who feel that they have imposter syndrome when they are in the rooms that were not made for them, I reflect back to when I entered Parliament in 2005, and it made me think about this, that we will know when we've reached true equality when we have as many rubbish women as we have rubbish men in Parliament. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you, thank you so much for your great participation. And please send a big hug to Harriet Harman, an extraordinary member of Parliament from the UK, and now is Baroness, right? A big hug to her. Now, Nigeria has the floor.

Good afternoon, President of the IPU, good afternoon, colleagues. I come with a heavy heart from Nigeria. But first, I'd like to apologize to Honorable Kafila Ogbara. I am not here to bring shame to our country. I'm here to seek help for the women of Nigeria. Again, my name is Senator Natasha Akpotu-Edowa. Five days ago, on the 6th of March 2025, I was suspended. As a senator, I was suspended. illegally because I submitted a petition of sexual harassment against the president of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio. I thought that by submitting the petition, he would recuse himself, and both of us will submit ourselves to the Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petition for a fair and transparent investigation, but unfortunately, I was silenced, and I was suspended. I was suspended for six months, amongst many other stringent conditions, such as taking away my security, taking away all the officials' vehicles and other items that were handed over to me as a senator. My salaries would be cut off. I must not appear anywhere near the National Assembly. And for six months, I'm not to introduce myself or present myself as a senator, locally in Nigeria or internationally. That means I'm here illegally, but I had no other place to go but to come here and speak to you women, because this is a bigger picture. Just a second. This is a bigger picture. It depicts the crisis of women political representation. My suspension is not just about me. It's about the systemic exclusion of women from political leadership in Nigeria. Women make up 3.6% of political offices, and in the Senate, it's just 2.8. We have 109 men, and only four of us are women. So right now, it's 108 with only three women. This is a clear case of political victimization, punishment for speaking out against impunity, corruption, and gender-based violence. The United Nations Declaration 48/104 declares sexual harassment as a form of gender violence. The Senate's actions are an assault on democracy. I was elected by my constituents to represent them, yet a few powerful men have unilaterally decided to silence their voices by suspending me for six months. My call for an open and transparent investigation into harassment allegations have been met with hostility instead of accountability. If a female senator can be treated this way in the full view of the world. Imagine what ordinary Nigerian women will go through every day in workplaces, in universities, and other aspects of our society. A culture of harassment and silencing must end. And this is not just a Nigerian issue. It's a global one. Women in politics, media, and businesses face threats, intimidation, and violence for simply demanding fairness. From sex for grades scandals in universities to harassment in workplaces and political spaces, Nigerian women have constantly been forced into silence. We need stronger legal protections and a zero culture tolerance for gender-based discrimination and intimidation. My call to the international community is such that the world must not stay silent. as democracy and women's rights are rolled back in Nigeria. I call on human rights organizations, women movements, and democratic institutions to hold the Nigerian Senate accountable. Nigeria needs global partners to push for women's political inclusion, safety, and protection from political harassment. You may ask, what are my next steps? I will resist the political intimidation. In the past few days, a number of my colleagues, my male colleagues, have reached out to me and said, "Natasha, all you need to do is apologize and retract your statements." And I told them I am not going to apologize. I will not apologize for my truth.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I told them that I will stand. After six months suspension, and the very first day I return, I will represent my petition on sexual harassment. And I will continue doing so until there is a fair and transparent investigation. I will fight this injustice and continue to represent my constituents, whether the Senate wants to hear me or not. I will work with women's group, civil society, and legal teams to ensure that this unconstitutional suspension is squashed. This is bigger than me. This is about ensuring that no other woman in politics or public office will ever be silenced again. Thank you so much.

Thank you for your contributions, Member of Parliament from Nigeria. Morocco has the floor for two minutes. We are almost finishing this block, so if you can respect the time so more countries can participate. Thank you. Morocco, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. Ladies and gentlemen, I'm a parliamentarian from Morocco. Excellencies, I'm very pleased to participate today at this meeting and to share with you our experience to bolster the participation of women in leading roles. Under the leadership of our King, we have a royal vision and have so since he took up his functions. Our King has made empowerment of women and bolstering her role in society a priority of our national reform. As proof of that, we have a number of statements pronounced by the King in support of women's participation in various fields. Convinced that the development of society involves the participation of all of its components, there are institutional and legal reforms, including the family code, This is a historic turning point in the rights of women and the family. This code has reaffirmed the rights of women and the importance and the role of women in society. In terms of parliamentary seats, Over 90 seats have been given to women in parliament. This is proof of political determination to improve the presence of women in the political sphere. And the economy has been important as well. Morocco has launched a program for women. and made it possible to increase the number of women entrepreneurs. In terms of political participation, in recent years, we've seen a significant increase in the participation of women in politics at the level of elections regionally and elsewhere. Women currently hold high-level posts. And this reflects the conviction and the belief that women are capable of carrying out these responsibilities. Despite all of this progress, we have seen that there are still obstacles that young girls face in ensuring gender parity in all areas. The Kingdom of Morocco, therefore, will continue its efforts to improve the role of women through education, through training, for girls and for young people, and it will work on improving legislation for these groups. Morocco will continue to bolster the role of women in decision-making positions because we believe that the empowerment of women is an essential precondition for sustainable development. Thank you.

Member of Parliament from Morocco. Kazakhstan has the floor. For two minutes.

Dear Mr. Chair, dear participants, on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I welcome you to today's meeting dedicated to reviewing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The importance of the political manifesto for women's rights adopted 30 years ago in eradicating discrimination ensuring security and expanding opportunities, remains unchanged. Women continue to face challenges in the areas of education and professional training, health care, violence, and violations of rights and freedoms, as well as under-representation in decision-making processes. Legislative bodies play a crucial role in addressing these issues, as they are responsible for finding and applying the best legislative practices in the field of women's and girls' rights. In this context, Kazakhstan continues its consistent work on the legislative implementation of the commitments outlined in the Beijing Declaration. Firstly, Kazakhstan, like other countries, has ratified and incorporated all major universal international human rights treaties into national legislation. Secondly, legal mechanisms have been established to protect the rights to work, social protection, and the protection of maternity and paternity. Thirdly, to improve legislation in domestic violence, punishment for domestic violence has been criminalized. And criminal liability for violent crimes against women and children has been intensified. In addition, legislative tools have been introduced to ensure family safety. For example, a provision has been incorporated into legislation that obliges an aggressive family member to undergo psychological correction courses. Currently, criminal liability for stalking is being introduced into the legislation. Fourthly, to support political activity among women, a 30% quota for women, youth, and people with disabilities has been introduced in party lists and when distributing parliamentary mandates for elected bodies. And firstly, the successive measures to implement the commitments made in the field of gender equality and the protection of women's rights are outlined in strategic documents, including the Action Plan for the Promotion of Equal Rights and Opportunities Thank you. for men and women for 2024, as well as the action plan for expanding economic opportunities for women and involving them into employment. Thank you for hearing me.

Thank you so much. Mexico has the floor for two minutes.

Thank you very much. Greetings to everyone. Today, we have parity in Mexico, as my colleagues have said. I represent the Chamber of Deputies. There are 500 of all of us, and 250 of them are women. And it has also been said here, for the first time, a woman president in Mexico. We have parity. in the mayorships, in governorates, and also in the Senate. And yet, we need to continue to move forward so that we are involved in the decision-making process to be presidents in the legislative bodies and where budgets are decided on because Without being involved in budgets, we can't implement public policies to diminish and reduce persisting inequalities in our country. Poverty persists in Mexico. There's gender violence against girls and women. There are femicides every day. And therefore, it is important for us to create partnerships between women who are now involved in politics. Being involved in the budget means that women need to be in the public spaces where decisions are made. And let's not forget that decades ago, we couldn't even vote or be voted in. There are a number of inequalities which persist in our countries. And in Mexico, we do have some pending issues related to women and girls, the right over their own body. acknowledging caregivers in Mexican society, and of course, eliminating gender-based violence and discrimination and violence against women. But today, women are in politics. We must not forget all of the inequalities that we face worldwide and in Mexico. And of course, we must have gender policies Thank you very much to my dear colleague Cynthia. Thank you.

Thank you, Deputy Nayeli. I'm very pleased to see you here, and I greet all of my Mexican deputies and senators. I now give the floor to Montenegro.

Montenegro, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Dear colleagues. Today, 30 years after adoption of Beijing Declaration, is a good moment to draw a line and see so far achievements in promoting gender equality. And yes, Beijing Declaration, with the worldwide promotion of its goals, helped in advancing women political participation and decision-making position. When we see worldwide situation, the top decision-making position, such as president of the state or prime minister in so many countries, are still unreachable position for women. That is a case also in my home country, Montenegro. On Leaders' World Summit, men are always dominant by numbers. And not just decision making positions. There is a significant employment gap between men and women, and also pay gap, which mean that women are paid less for the same job done as a man. And what about other aspects? So many women don't have access to the health care, and there are still places on earth where women have undergone female genital mutilation in their early period of life, a process in which girls not so rare bleed to death. In some countries, women also don't have same access to education as men. Also, with economic power and wealth, it is less likely to see women as the head of corporation comparing to men. And one of the biggest defeat of the humanity, in war conflicts, women are specific targets as a war tool for murdering, ****** and humiliating their dignity. Women are roots of our civilization. Women are future of overall progress, prosperity, and better life quality. So it's up to us what are we going to do now for shaping the better future for all humankind. Because it is already said before, women rights are human rights. Goals from Beijing Declaration are still very much relevant. So my question is, how to involve more countries and leaders in order to improve all aspects of women life all around the world? And how to include more men in this process, especially having in mind the fact that today all panelists were women and all also were women. Where are the men? Thank you.

Thank you so much, Member of Parliament of Montenegro. Georgia has the floor for two minutes, and then Portugal.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Dearest Cynthia, thank you for everything you do through the platform. Your work is truly remarkable. I come from Georgia, where the symbol of my capital is Mother of Georgia, a lady holding a bowl of wine in her right hand and a sword in her left hand, which is showing the strength to the people coming with ill intent. This powerful symbol reflects our nation's history of strong women. Georgia has a proud legacy of women's political participation, dating back 1918, one eight. We were among the first countries to elect women parliamentarians, including ethnic minorities. This progressive tradition is part of our national identity, though we have faced many challenges in maintaining it. As a proud quota-elected woman parliamentarian, Both of my toddlers born in previous convocation, same as Indonesian colleague, I must acknowledge both our progress and setbacks. While we recently implemented quota to increase women representation, this temporary mechanism was unfortunately removed before achieving its full potential. I also voted the decision to rename our Gender Equality Council to Women and Child Caucus. A change that allows us to focus more directly on concrete actions for women and children rather than terminology. This shift enables us to address specific needs with targeted policies while maintaining our commitment to equality through anti-discrimination law and others. We in a ruling party remain committed to strengthening women economically and socially. Georgia has made significant progress in implementing Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, particularly in increasing women's access to education, also engaging in STEM fields through the programs and public-private partnerships. We recognize that advancing women's rights requires concrete action, not just symbolic gestures. I would like to propose a motion for our joint work, focusing on three main priorities. First, reinstating and strengthening temporary special measures like quotas across our member countries with accountability mechanism to ensure their effectiveness. Second, focusing on practical implementation rather than terminology. Debates ensuring that our policies deliver tangible benefits to women regardless of the frameworks we use to describe them. Third, amplifying women's role as peacemakers. In Georgia, we know firsthand the devastating effect of conflict. Women must be central to peace processes, not just as participants, but as leaders, architects of sustainable peace. The path forward requires our collective wisdom and determination across party lines and national borders. As parliamentarians, we hold unique power to transform international commitments into national actions. Let us join hands to craft legislation that ensures women's full participation in all spheres, including public life, creating the peaceful and just societies our citizens deserve. I thank you.

Thank you so much, Mariam. Thank you for your words. From Georgia. Now I have the floor, Portugal, two minutes.

Distinguished President, colleagues from all over the world, the IPU delegation of Portugal, which I head, welcomes you. I congratulate the organizers and the panelists. Women face many challenges. It is a path with achievements and setbacks, as we’ve seen. In Portugal, the universal right to abortion for women was established only 50 years ago. As for the law on parity to ensure representation of both sexes, it establishes an obligation of at least 33 percent of women on the list in 2006, and in 2019, a proposal of a minimum of 40 percent was made. My question is, why not 50 percent? women require more support. It's true that it is easier to change the law than it is to change mentalities and to push back on myths and prejudices in order to change social representation. Well, the law states that women If the law says that women should be represented at 50%, then the parties would accede to that demand. But destroying a prejudice takes a lot more time, and it's much more difficult. For many men, and for many women, unfortunately, politics remains a man's world. where women don't really have a place. And this world sometimes becomes tense, insecure, and inhospitable for women. And they, women, feel insecure, or they withdraw, or they decide to remain in the shadows of men. It's urgent to change this. There's a need to support women, change the mentality. Women largely contribute to educating their children. Does it need to educate them for equality and for parity? Women should not think that 33% of vacant posts is a good thing. What would be good would be guaranteeing choice based on merit and competence rather than gender. What would be good would be to have 50% of vacant posts. That would be equality. Women do not yet have a culture of support and empowerment of women. They are often in competition with one another, thus jeopardizing their position. Much still remains to be done. Acting through legislation, parliaments have a vital role to play. But also, one must try to change social representation and the mentality. That's much more difficult than changing the law. Uprooting prejudices, changing perceptions, and fostering active participation of women in politics is, just like the vote, a fundamental law. We will continue working to get there. I wish to thank everyone for your efforts, and we will get there. Thank you very much. Vive les femmes.

Vive les femmes. Thank you so much, member of parliament of Portugal. So the other participants can speak in the second session after the lunch. So when you come back to lunch, you put again your microphone on, and the list will do again for the rest of participants. So now we will finish this panel with segment. We will focus on shifting the paradigm towards gender. So we are honored to have with us Ms. Naglaa Haidar, Chairperson of the CEDAW Committee, and joining her, Ms. Nicole Ameline, former CEDAW Committee and member, former chair of the GR40. You can stay here and you can have the seat, yes. Yes. So I will give the floor to our great panelist, Ms. Naglaa Haidar, SIDO Committee Chairperson. You can go to the podium if you want, or from the desk.

No, that will be okay. Thank you very much. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Good morning, good afternoon, good day. It has been really a very, very intense hour for me, waiting, but at the same time listening to all those interventions that are at the heart of all what we're talking about. And I want to very humbly salute in particular the intervention of the colleague from Nigeria, who shared really her experience and brought to us what we are about address and real challenges. So as we reflect on Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and in particular for CEDAW, which has preceded the declaration and has worked always in tandem, but has been, as I always say, is the brainchild of CSW, will turn 45 years soon, and is the only legal binding instrument that at international level for women's rights. We see the size of the challenges, and we see at the same time, the opportunity. It is essential that we think about political participation and representation of women as a legal obligation under the Convention. It's not just wishful thinking or, you know, women are underrepresented. You've been saying that, all of you, and you are aware at the absence in STEM, but you are also aware at their little presence also in environmental roles, in venture capital. I will not go back to all of this. But we have also heard, and hence this important testimony this morning, that women's participation is inextricably linked to their safety and freedom from violence. The chronic under-representation of women in leadership positions is undeniably linked to the persistence of gender-based violence, and full and equal participation of women in decision-making is essential to create a world also free from violence. So in this context, I want to introduce CEDAW General Recommendation under the authority of its rapporteur, and I'm so happy to be here with Mrs. Ameline, who has led this exercise for many years within the Committee until the adoption of this landmark General Recommendation on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems. We are not anymore talking about percentage, we are not anymore knocking at the door, we are simply stating what is so evident, parity. And this is an urgent -- this GR is really about the fundamental human right of women, and it's also a game-changing solution to many of the pressing issues we face globally. GR 40 is our urgent call for parity. It's the emblematic initiative for 2025, setting forth a global roadmap to achieve 50/50 gender parity in decision making and equal and inclusive representation of women in both, which is fundamental human rights and a key strategy to overcome global challenges. What is it that GR40 brings different and additional? First of all, GR40 has seven transformative pillars. that are so important, and I just recap them quickly: the parity, youth leadership, intersectionality, comprehensive systems, equal power and influence, structured transformation, and civil society engagement. And all of your testimony this morning speak to some of these pillars. If we think about structural transformation, we think about the whole load that stereotypes affect representation, we know it's there. The fact also of the intergenerational transition, it's also there. So I want to emphasize the importance of the inclusive representation that the GR brings, and I want also to emphasize the legal obligation, as I said, and due diligence. It's not just a wish list, it's a legal obligation, and this is a way of helping state party to understand that they have to be accountable and assist them in monitoring their progress, identifying also their constraints or difficulty, and trying to addressing them. So the fact that the GR called states party to develop mechanism to track and report progress will help us to move from simply political will, which is welcome, which is fine, but does not help us to sustain the result because it does not institutionalize So I think this is crucially important that we are discussing this today, also in the context of women and parliament, because We have always recognized in CEDAW, at least since I joined and Nicole was at the time chair, the importance of parliament as indispensable partners in the journey. And we actively engage with parliaments through workshops, briefings, technical assistance to ensure national laws align with the CEDAW standards. So we feel that the interaction between parliament and CEDAW has been crucial so far, and we would like to continue to nurture it for better results. result and better monitoring. And I will stop here and thank you very much.

Thank you so much, Ms. Nahla Haidar, CEDAW Committee Chairperson. Now we give the floor as our last panelist, Ms. Nicole Ameline, former CEDAW Committee member and former chair of the GR40 drafting group. Dear Ameline, you have the floor.

Thank you, Madam President. I’m going to speak in French. I’ll be brief because I think there are two minutes left. I simply want to express my gratitude to the IPU, to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. I thank UN Women as well for organizing this meeting, which I think is particularly important. This is not a traditional year. We’re not only in a year that celebrates landmark anniversaries. Rather, we’re at a decisive turning point of world history and the history of women. And what is happening today is very serious, because given the reiterated commitments that we’ve heard today, there’s a background – it’s a paradoxical background – a risk of backsliding. It’s a major historic risk. backsliding on all the rights of women and their participation in political life. Equal, inclusive representation of women in all decision-making systems, as excellently recalled by the chair of the Committee of the CEDAW, is not only an obligation linked to the CEDAW and to international law, it's the best response to the challenges we face today, be it the climate, peace or security, or be it the digital transformation, or migration, extremism. We all know today that parity doubles the intelligence of the world, and that today, it's the best response to the challenges that we face. Here's what I'd like to tell you. At a moment when we're adapting our new way of thinking and acting, there's nothing more important than adapting our models of governance. And this new model of governance must involve 50/50 parity. The general recommendation establishes a universal standard, a principle, a requirement, an imperative, and not just a goal. That means that parity is now, and you will be the first architects of this change in standards. As for France, we've been able to introduce parity into the constitution. Did that affect change at all levels? And you are all parliamentarians, as am I, and you're all in the avant-garde of this paradigm shift. General recommendation number 4. sets out seven pillars. I'm not going to go through them. You can do it yourself. I won't spend the time to do so. I just want to say that we need a new momentum, a new strategy, and we need a new mechanism for three priorities: accelerate, innovate, and mobilize. Accelerate means making parity the challenge of 2030. We need a methodology as set out in GR 40. We need accessibility for everyone, in practical terms. That is, all states today have the responsibility to implement that recommendation, not only for themselves, but for the example they wish to set for the rest of the world. Because I think that there's nothing more valuable for a country today than applying parity. And we need innovation, because we need new tools. We're thinking about a sort of digital model nowadays, a model that allows for states to have this capacity to act in very concrete terms. But we're also thinking about a coalition, like the coalition that exists between IPU, UN Women, and the CEDAW, to continue to inspire states and to make headway. That, for everyone, should be what the change consists of that allows women to be what they are, namely agents for changing the world. Thank you.

Thank you so much, Ms. Ameline. Thank you so much. So now this session is finished. You have lunch time because the UN will have a meeting now in this room. So we will be back at 3:00 PM. So you have time for lunch. And when you come back, I suggest to put your microphone on for the ones that want to participate in the next session. So thank you so much. I will travel to my country, Mexico, to prepare the Conference of Women. ones that are going to Mexico, we will be looking forward you in my country. Thank you so much, and the session continue at 3:00 PM. Thank you. Thank you.

We contribute to women's rights and empowerment in numerous.

Ways, and I'm just going to take a few examples from Gaza.

We established 52 women's committees in the shelters to ensure gender is integrated in the emergency response. We, since January, enrolled over 250,000 kids in our distance learning program, and more than half of them are girls.

We have partnered.

With independent women's program centers in nine official refugee camps in Gaza, which support women through cultural and recreational activities.

They also.

Seek to empower women, both socially and economically, and enhance their participation in the community by equipping them with legal advice and skills. We have also sought to minimize vulnerabilities, including by retraining our teachers to serve as protection monitors in our shelters establishing referral networks for protection cases such as for gender-based violence, and providing psychosocial support, distributing dignity and hygiene kits and winter clothes. A collapse of UNRWA would create a dangerous vacuum in the OPT and send shockwaves through our other fields of operations in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Thus, we are advocating and seeking support for UNRWA to be included within the framework of a political process which would allow the agency gradually to transition its services, mainly education and primary health care, to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions. This would also ensure that during transition, the gender perspective would continue to be applied in line with Beijing and other UN commitments. I would like to thank you for your attention and continued support.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And now, let me give the floor to Her Excellency Ms. Wafa Abu Mustafa, the Minister of Social Development in Jordan. If you could please be a bit brief so that we can listen to the other speakers.

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, let me thank the Committee on Women in the League and everybody who attended this event for coming here and participating. Let me start by saying that we hold dear our support for the Palestinian women and their almost mythical resilience. whether they're martyrs or wives of martyrs or daughters of martyrs, injured in Palestine. The Palestinian question is a national question. And His Majesty King Abdullah has stood for the Palestinian cause for decades. Our diplomacy was always there, and our assistance would always go to Palestinians, whether by field hospitals or by treating the wounded or other efforts. Jordan for Jordanians, Palestine is for Palestinians, and therefore we support the UNRWA efforts because this is in an agency that helps a country under occupation, and Palestinians everywhere need the efforts of this international organization, UNRWA, for the relief and works of Palestinians. And finally, let me say that in view of the ceasefire, we should see the response to the Gaza Strip addressed specifically to women’s needs, with a clear plan for peace and security, especially the special needs of women and children, as provided for in 1325. Palestinian women suffer financially, economically, but also psychologically and morally. And this must be taken in consideration in the future, in the upcoming stage. Thank you, and thanks for giving Jordan the opportunity to address the events. Thanks.

Thank you, Your Excellency. Ms. Reem Moleis, the Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East and Africa. of Médecins Sans Frontières, please.

It's an honor to be here with you today, and I want to start by extending my thanks to the League of Arab States and UN Women for bringing us together for this vital conversation. We are here to shine a light on an urgent, troubling crisis, the humanitarian emergency facing women in Gaza. It's a privilege to be joining this panel, but the weight of what we're discussing today is extremely heavy. Let us begin with a stark reality: Gaza's health care system has not just collapsed as a side effect of the war. No. Its collapse is the result of Israel's deliberate, systematic attacks and continuous restriction on aid. Take Al-Shifa Hospital. It's not functioning anymore, battered by repeated military assaults and cut-offs of supplies that it needed to operate. Or the Indonesian hospital, where MSF teams, Doctors Without Borders teams, on the ground, has documented targeted attack. The attack was not an isolated incident. It was part of a broader and ongoing targeted assault on healthcare facilities. For women in Gaza, this means being deprived of something as fundamental as access to healthcare. As we speak, Women and girls in Gaza are enduring a number of unimaginable hardships, but I would like to focus on three main areas where MSF teams on the ground have identified. First is the devastating lack of maternal care. Even before the latest escalation, women in Gaza faced several barriers, such as too few specialized facilities, movement restrictions that could delay lifesaving care by hours and even days. The situation now is so much worse. Hospitals are destroyed, entire communities are displaced, and the delivery of aid is impeded. For a pregnant woman in Gaza, today, getting prenatal care with or with a high-risk pregnancy, it's just not difficult, it's nearly impossible. Routine gynecological checkups, obstetric screenings, these became luxuries that have already vanished. MSF teams have seen in times that even basic maternity services like a bed for a new mother or a struggling newborn simply were not available. The consequences for women and their babies in Gaza are truly heartbreaking and devastating. Second, let's talk about hygiene and dignity, something so basic but so overlooked. Menstrual hygiene is a public health issue, and in Gaza, it's spiraling into a crisis. MSF has managed to distribute 12,000 packages of menstrual pads, reaching about 15,000 women just for one cycle. That sounds like a lot until you realize that roughly 700,000 menstruating women in Gaza are in need. Our efforts covers only 2%. It's true other organizations are supporting as well, but the blockade, logistical chaos, and the supply shortages mean we are all falling desperately short. Beyond that, soap and clean water, they are scarce, making it harder for women to maintain basic hygiene and leaving them more vulnerable to infections. Third, there is malnutrition, a silent threat that is growing louder every day. Our medical teams have seen pregnant women and breastfeeding women struggling with malnutrition, worn down by stress and food insecurities. It's not just that they are hungry. It's not that it's that they cannot even nourish their babies. Breastfeeding became a struggle. Infant formula, it's either not there or too expensive. Add to that, lack of clean water and sanitation, where now you find newborns exposed to infections and the real diseases from day one of their lives. We saw a glimmer of hope when aid briefly increased with the ceasefire's first phase, but with no progress since. Essential medical supplies are stuck, blocked, leaving maternal care hanging by a thread. Aside from these critical issues, the Israeli authorities' proposal to establish humanitarian hubs as a future framework for aid work poses significant risks. It threatens to further restrict access to medical services, including maternal health care. By concentrating displaced populations into militarized zones where services are either nonexistent or extremely overwhelmed, this model will only undermine humanitarian principles, compromising impartiality and operational independence. Before I close, I want to say this plainly: The deliberate destruction of Gaza’s healthcare system and the ongoing blockade of life-saving aid are not just tragedies; they are violations of international humanitarian law. Without immediate intervention to restore access to essential care, especially maternal and reproductive health, women in Gaza will keep facing gaps that do not only threaten their dignity, but their very lives. We must collectively push for an immediate and sustained humanitarian response, ensuring that women and girls in Gaza receive the care, dignity, and protection they deserve. Thank you.

Thank you. For the briefing. You’re all volunteer doctors. Thank you for your briefing again, and I give the floor to Ireland, to Ms. Jennifer Carroll, the Minister of Health in Ireland.

شكرا جزيلا لكل المتحدثين الذين سبقوني. إيرلندا ملتزمة بسلام عادل ودائم في الشرق الأوسط وتحقيق حالة دولتين. سياستنا الخارجية استرشدت دائما بالسلام، وحيث أننا شاهدنا الصراع وتغلبنا عليه في بلادي، فإن سياستنا الخارجية تسترشد بالسلام واحترام القانون الدولي واحترام القانون الإنساني الدولي. واستجابتنا تجاه كل شيء منذ حدث الهجوم على إسرائيل في 7 تشرين الأول أكتوبر، ثم تأييد شعب غزة وفلسطين الذين

عانوا معاناة. of so many innocent people in Gaza since then. And we look now to the future and we hope to see the perpetuation of the ceasefire, which I believe has given hope, some hope, to people both in Israel and in Gaza.

But we acknowledge the continued

disruption, an unspeakable disruption to humanitarian aid, which further increases risks for women and girls, including the potential to severely impact access to vital sexual reproductive health, gender-based violence prevention and response services, as our colleagues in MSF have elucidated so clearly. As Minister for Health in Ireland, I am concerned about this across victims. In addressing these challenges, the role of UNRWA continues to be critical, and it is essential that the international community continues to support UNRWA. Ireland announced a further €20 million of support to the agency in the last number of months. But this is the Commission on the Status of Women. Women's voices are often underrepresented in times of conflict and in decision-making processes. Women must be fully integrated into peace and reconstruction efforts, and their specific needs to develop the future for them and therefore their families in a post-war recovery must be addressed as efforts to reach sustainable peace. In Ireland, we have witnessed the role that women played in developing conflict resolution processes and advocating for peace and security. We hope that the ceasefire release and hostage release deal brings continued hope, but we must demand again unfettered access to humanitarian aid and support for UNRWA in this reconstruction period.

Thank you, Your Excellency.

Now I’ll give the floor to His Excellency Mr. Delirius Moreno, Joana, Naib Sefir, Cuba.

Please, two minutes max.

Deputy Ambassador to Cuba.

Thank you very much, distinguished Minister of Women Affairs of the State of Palestine and distinguished representative of the Arab State League and UN Women. Palestine is a sister nation, no matter geographical distance from Cuba.

We condemn in the strongest terms the Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.

As well as the.

Destruction of homes, hospitals, civilian infrastructure, and deprivation of water, food, and electricity services that considerably worsen the critical humanitarian situation in the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel further denies the entry of necessary humanitarian aid into these territories, even during the holy month of Ramadan, We reject Israel bans on UNRWA activities in this territory. UNRWA's work is essential to ensure the delivery of humanitarian assistance to those in need, including Palestinian women and girls. And we thank Ambassador Greta for the relevant updates on UNRWA's valuable efforts nowadays.

The Israeli impunity.

Undermines multilateralism, international law, the UN Charter. It also hampers the full enjoyment of human rights of Palestinian people, including women. who have been victims of systematic starvation, forced displacement, violence, have suffered the disintegration of their families and homes, the effects of a health crisis, and.

Limited access to essential life-saving services.

Just a few days ago, we commemorated the International Women's Day. a date on which we remember with admiration the dignified resistance of Palestinian women. However, our celebration will be completed when the Palestinian women can exercise their right to live in peace in their own land. To our Palestinian sisters, we ratify that they can always count on Cuba's solidarity to their legitimate rights and cause. I thank you.

Thank you.

I'll give the floor for Pakistan, please, one minute, then we'll close the sessions. Pakistan.

Yes. Let me first thank the League of Arab States and the UN Women for a timely event dedicated to the women of Gaza and the Palestinian cause. In the face of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Pakistan expresses its unwavering solidarity with the men, women, and families of Gaza who are enduring unimaginable hardships, facing the brunt of war crimes at the behest of the occupying power. As a woman's voice from my country, I pay tribute to the valiant struggles of women as they face destruction of their homes and displacement. To the women, let me say that I want you to know that your pain does not present you as victims, But each tear, each drop of blood, every mark and scar inflicted by the occupier counts as a testimony to your historical and stellar struggle for justice and for freedom. Our empathy is not only an expression of sympathy, but a statement of solidarity. The 20th anniversary of 1325 is here, and this should serve as an opportunity for the world community to make a strong case for making Palestinian women active agents and part of the solution. Women of Gaza must be involved in the reconstruction strategy and in peacebuilding efforts. While we acknowledge the urgent need for reconstruction in Gaza, we want to emphasize that reconstruction without the restoration of an independent homeland and justice and freedom for Palestinians, which is their natural right, may not bring lasting peace. Here, Pakistan reaffirms its commitment to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital as a fundamental step towards achieving peace and stability in the region. In solidarity with women for Gaza, we urge the We call on the global community to unite in support for the Palestinian cause, advocating for their rights and dignity. Together, we can work towards a future where peace prevails and the voices of women are heard and respected in pursuit of justice for all Palestinians. We stand with you, and we will continue to advocate for your rights, for a peaceful resolution that honors the aspirations of the Palestinian people.

The representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who chairs the status of women, you have the floor, and then we are going to give the floor to Ambassador Majed Abdel-Fattah for his final conclusions. Saudi Arabia.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia stresses, because we believe historically in the support for Palestinian women, we reiterate our support to women in Gaza who live under horrific situations, under grave violations of human rights. Women in Gaza are not only victims of a conflict; they are the symbols of strength and steadfastness. steadfastness, women support their families and try to provide a life in dignity to her children and society. The Kingdom, under the guidance of His Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, continues to provide support through humanitarian relief or diplomatic efforts in international fora, calling for an immediate cessation of aggression and the need to protect civilians, particularly children and women. We stress that the empowerment of Palestinian women and protecting women from violations is part and parcel of our commitment to the Palestinian cause, which is what the Kingdom represents by its continued support to international resolutions aimed at promoting the rights of women in areas of conflict and providing the necessary support to build a better future. In conclusion, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will continue to support the Palestinian cause. We will be always extending our hand to support Palestinian women, because we believe that the empowerment of women is an empowerment of society as a whole. The realization of just peace is the only way to guarantee a better future for Palestinian women and girls, as well as women in the whole world. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you. The Moroccan Minister, one minute, and then we will close the session, please. Morocco, one minute, please. For concluding remarks, Ambassador Magid Abdel Fattah, the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States to the UN. Please.

Thank you. Having attended this very successful event that was organized by Palestine yesterday under the chairmanship of Ms. Muna Al-Khalili and Ambassador Mansour, and many ministers, and having listened to the statements made today by the ministers, the delegates, the ambassadors, and representatives of civil society, and based on the efforts made by the Arab group in New York, which shown an un never foreseen unity after the aggression on Gaza and in cooperation with the OIC and the non-aligned movement from countries from Asia and Latin America, and the special efforts made by the league to control the current situation in coordination with other countries. We can conclude the following: We need to make more efforts to reach a permanent ceasefire and not to allow any ploys to undermine the current ceasefire, and to follow faithfully the agreement that was reached with the United States government by Egypt and Qatar. plan of recovery and reconstruction for Gaza must start immediately. This was suggested by Egypt and adopted by the emergency summit on 4 March in Cairo. The plan was based on a Palestinian plan made by the Palestinian Prime Minister, and the second plan made by the UN organizations, the World Bank or the UNDP. and other institutions, of course, including UN Women and other UN organizations that are concerned with women's issues. Three, humanitarian assistance must be allowed to Gaza and opening all crossings to make sure that we provide for the women in Gaza, and to make sure that there's also no prospect for the forced migration. We have solutions that would top any other solution made by anybody from any area outside the Arab region. Four, supporting the June conference chaired by Saudi Arabia and France that will be held at the UN to implement the two-state solutions that was launched by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan, and the League, and the European Union two years ago. And these are starting to show some positive signs on the holding of this conference with the leading countries in Europe that show sympathies, such as Norway, Ireland, and Spain, to create a political horizon that will achieve the two-state solution and ensure more recognition of the state of Palestine, and Palestine would have full membership at the UN as soon as possible. And the advisory opinion of the ICJ and the 2410, resolution 2410 on the two-state solutions and the orders given on the other matters that were before the ICJ; 6. To implement the warrants by the ICC on accountability, whether on genocide or other crimes that were committed against Palestinian women; 7. To support the call made by South Africa and other countries on genocide before the ICJ until there's a final opinion, and the call by Norway to make sure that Israel is implementing resolutions on the status of UNRWA, and as far as the opinion of the Court is concerned. Eight, to support UNRWA financially and logistically, for a pivotal role to implement the needs of women and children and to stop all attempts to liquidate it by Israel. There's a pioneering initiative that was led by Jordan, Norway, and Luxembourg at the UN, and it's receiving increasing support daily. Nine, to welcome the efforts on internal Palestinian reconciliation and unifying Palestinian ranks and civil society, especially women organizations. Ten, to implement all resolutions by the Security Council 1712, 1720, 1728, 35, and General Assembly resolutions, an extraordinary session of the General Assembly on Palestine. And here let me affirm the leading role by Algeria and Somalia as the two leading members in the Council. Finally, here in New York, we are completely unified. behind the implementation of these objectives on common Arab action in the Arab statement, in the final concluding statement of the last summit of the 4th of March in Cairo. Let us renew our commitment to protecting Palestinian women in Gaza, lessening their suffering, and proceeding toward development and prosperity until we achieve an independent state of Palestine with its capital, East Jerusalem, on the lines of the 4th of June 1967. Thank you.

Thank you, Ambassador, for your continued efforts. and for briefing us on all measures taken in the Council and other fora. Let me thank everyone who took part in this important event, and apologize to those who wanted to actually take the floor. I know everybody wanted to take the floor, but we have very limited time, and the organizers asked us to leave. Thank you.