Oral Statement to the Sixtieth Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women
Presented by the International Association of Democratic Lawyers and the member organizations of the Vienna NGO Committee on the Status of Women
Considering the results of the Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015 and the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030;
Considering the agreements of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference in Paris in December 2015;
Convinced that sustainable development can only be achieved when armed conflicts are ended by negotiations among all parties involved, and UN Member States tackle the root causes of migration including terrorism, climate change, persecution, and economic inequality;
Reiterating the paramount importance of gender equality as a cross-cutting sustainable development issue: none of the Sustainable Development Goals will be attainable without including women and girls as equal partners, valuable contributors, leaders and decision makers;
Reaffirming that sustainable development requires the elimination of all forms of violence, respect for human rights and democracy, gender equality and equal participation in decision-making;
Urging immediate implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and unrestricted signature, ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women including Optional Protocols by all UN Member States;
Acknowledging that gender equality has been shown to improve education, health, peace and security, as well as a range of other development goals;
Reaffirming the role of NGOs in empowering women and girls, and the responsibility of all UN Member States to provide adequate financial resources for their work;
The undersigned member organizations of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women in Vienna:
Call upon the United Nations system to establish and/or strengthen cooperation worldwide, so that the framework for the financing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of action plans and programs on the sustainable development agenda becomes more reliable and effective;
Call upon Member States and UN Agencies to introduce gender budgeting and indicators relevant to the sustainable development agenda, so that programs can be successfully monitored, evaluated and adjusted when necessary;
Call upon the UN Member States to work together in developing, financing and implementing regional action plans to address sensitive issues such as water and health, agriculture and urbanization, education and job creation, climate change mitigation and adaptation;
Urge Member States to emphasize education for women at all levels, as education is one of the most important tools for achieving sustainable development and climate goals;
Urge Member States to promote the selection and appointment of a woman as the next Secretary General of the United Nations;
Call upon the permanent and non-permanent members of the Security Council, in view of the increasing number and severity of ongoing conflicts worldwide, to undertake more concerted efforts and immediate action to achieve peace, including increased participation and full involvement of women in national and international peace processes.
Signed,
Non-governmental organizations in consultative status with ECOSOC, members of the NGO Committee on the Status of Women Vienna
African Action on AIDS
African Women’s Organization
Associated Country Women of the World
European Union of Women
Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
International Alliance of Women
International Council of Women
International Council of Jewish Women
International Federation of Business and Professional Women
International Federation of Social Workers
International Federation for Home Economics
International Inner Wheel
Pax Romana
Servas International
Socialist International Women
Soroptimist International
Women Against Violence Europe
Women’s Federation for World Peace International
Women’s International Zionist Organization
Zonta International
