Joint statement by the "Gender Action Leaders" on International Women's Day
Thank you, Mr Chair,
The following participating States have aligned with this statement….
On Saturday, 8 March, we will mark International Women’s Day. This year’s theme – “for all women and girls” - offers a timely reminder of the universality of women’s rights and the need for collective action which accounts for the needs of women and girls in all their diversity. We commend the OSCE, its executive structures and autonomous institutions for all their important work in promoting gender equality across all three dimensions.
Mr Chair,
As more than a decade has passed since Russia started its aggression against Ukraine and three years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion , we pay tribute to the strength and resilience of Ukrainian women. In both military and civilian capacities, they have made vital contributions to the defence of their country. We reiterate our serious concern regarding reports of the Moscow Mechanism, ODIHR, and UN Commission of Inquiry documenting widespread sexual and gender-based violence, and underline the need for accountability.
Mr Chair,
We are witnessing a global push back against women’s rights that threatens to undermine hard won progress towards gender equality. We must heed UN Women’s call to action for all women and girls and recognise that experiences of discrimination are not uniform. Many women, such as those with disabilities, young women, and those belonging to national minorities experience multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination, exacerbated in times of war and crisis. We call on participating States to adopt an inclusive approach to gender equality, recognising women and girls in all their diversity. We welcome research by the HCNM and Gender Issues Programme in this regard, and encourage participating States to implement their recommendations.
2025 marks 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform, which clearly articulated the need to involve men in efforts for gender equality. Progress in this area is also threatened. Surveys of young men and women suggest that they are increasingly drifting apart on questions of women’s rights. We must heed this warning and redouble our efforts to engage men and boys as agents of change. Rigid and stereotypical gender norms also take a toll on men and boys, and achieving gender equality would enable us all to live more prosperous and fulfilling lives.
Mr Chair,
A quarter of a century on from the passing of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, ensuring women and girls’ central role in matters of peace and security, and protecting them from conflict-related sexual violence, is no less relevant or important. We commend the work of the OSCE institutions and field missions to this end, including through the WIN project, ODIHR’s CHANGE project and RFOM’s work on the safety of women journalists. Projects bringing together and building the capacity of women to engage in peacebuilding, including the Scholarship for Peace and Security, the Women’s Peace Leadership Programme, and the Dialogue Academy for Young Women, particularly demonstrate the practical impact of the OSCE’s expertise and convening power. We reiterate the commitments made by participating States on the importance of the full, equal and meaningful participation of women at all levels of the peace process for viable and sustainable peace.
In concluding Mr Chair, allow me to stress the need for participating States to continue to support the OSCE’s mandate in promoting gender equality and themselves engaging in the realisation of the Resolution 1325 and the 2004 Action Plan. Despite decades now having passed since their adoption, and our repeated collective agreement of their importance, full gender equality remains a distant prospect. It will remain so until we recognise it a key precondition for peace and stability and take action for all women and girls.
Thank you.