Gender Equality at the heart of the EU's engagement at UNGA75

28.09.2020

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will represent the EU at the High Level Event celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen and Commissioner for Equality Helena Dalli will take part in the launch of the Action Coalitions of the Generation Equality Forum.

 

The 75th session of the UN General Assembly comes a quarter century after the adoption of the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action of 1995, a comprehensive blueprint for women’s rights and gender equality around the world.

With COVID-19 continuing to disrupt lives and deepening inequalities, gender equality will be high on the agenda of EU leaders at the General Assembly.

 

25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration

On 1 October, President Ursula von der Leyen will join world leaders to mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration. She will present her commitments and actions to further implement the Declaration and make gender equality a reality for all.

“Gender equality is a core principle of the European Union, but it is not yet a reality. In business, politics and society as a whole, we can only reach our full potential if we use all of our talent and diversity. Using only half of the population, half of the ideas or half of the energy is not good enough. With the Gender Equality Strategy, we are pushing for more and faster progress to promote equality between men and women.”  ~ President von der Leyen

 

Generation Equality Forum

Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and Commissioner Helena Dalli will take part in the launch of the Action Coalition on Gender-Based Violence of the Generation Equality Forum on 29 September. The EU is a leader of the Action Coalition, which brings together states, international organisations and civil society to find innovative ways to stop violence. One of the Action Coalition's missions will be to ensure the implementation of the UN Secretary-General's Appeal on Gender-Based Violence and COVID-19. The EU-UN Spotlight initiative, the first global initiative to end violence against women, will be used as a model for future action.

Commissioner Helena Dalli will also represent the EU at the launch of the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights on 28 October. She will present the decisive actions foreseen under the new EU Gender Equality Strategy to build an equal economy in Europe and beyond.

 

 

Second UN Survivor Town Hall

For the second year in a row, the EU will join Rise, Argentina, Sierra Leone and Uruguay to host a UN Survivor Town Hall on 25 September. This will be a forum for high-level officials and other individuals to listen to the stories of survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. The gathering is meant to highlight a survivor-centric approach, to emphasize the real-life consequences of policy decisions, and bring survivors into the same space as decision-makers.

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