Statement by Ms Nell Stewart, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Canada, on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand (CANZ) to the United Nations Third Committee on Item 12 Advancement of Women
13 October
(As delivered)
I have the honour of making this statement on behalf of Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand reaffirm our strong commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome of Beijing Plus Five, the Cairo Programme of Action, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Collectively, these remain the international framework for advancing women’s rights and equality.
Mr. Chairperson, in this the year of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, widespread violations of women’s rights persist. During this session of the Third Committee, we will once again debate resolutions on such grave and pervasive violations as the trafficking of women and girls, and the myriad forms of violence that continue to be perpetrated with impunity against women of all ages. We will debate also the positive agenda and the multitude of promising approaches that enable women’s full contribution to social, political and economic life. A great deal of work is still required—in all of our countries and in all communities—to ensure that the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and other relevant instruments are translated into sustained progress for women and girls.
The UN has an important role to play in accelerating global progress toward achieving gender equality, and a clear mandate to do so. However, it has yet to fulfill its promise. We commend UNIFEM, the Office of the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women and other parts of the UN system, which, despite the challenges of fragmentation and limited resources, have accomplished a great deal on behalf of women’s empowerment.
Mr. Chairperson, we now have before us an important opportunity for the UN to take up the call to end persistent inequality with the robust and meaningful response that the challenge merits. In the context of system-wide coherence, we have a chance to shape a renewed United Nations that is properly equipped to support Member States in realizing our women’s rights and equality commitments.
Canada, Australia and New Zealand believe that the new UN gender equality architecture must, first and foremost, enhance performance at country level to better support national ownership and leadership. It should strengthen policy coherence in the UN system and ensure adequate authority in the organization’s leadership to strengthen integration and uptake of gender issues.
We welcome the work of Deputy Secretary-General Migiro, and are encouraged by the commitment shown by Member States to move toward a strengthened and coherent UN gender equality architecture. We are convinced that the time has come for the UN to fulfill its promise to women and girls.
Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.