Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,
25 years ago, in Beijing we all made a promise.
With the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action we promised a world with equal rights and opportunities for all women and girls. Today, we have not fully achieved what we promised in any region of the world.
Mr. President, I would like to stress that implementation of the Istanbul convention remains a priority for Estonia. In addition, a new Victim Support Act is under development right now to guarantee better and more flexible support options.
Another big obstacle for women to enjoy gender equality is the unequal sharing of unpaid care work. To tackle this, Estonia puts special emphasis on parental leave and benefits system and on promoting active fatherhood. We also address other reasons behind our wide gender pay gap.
Gender equality and women`s full enjoyment of all human rights is not just a women`s issue. Men and boys are equally important actors and benefit from the change. We should encourage men to participate fully in all actions promoting equality. We should also promote equal opportunities for women and girls for education and health care, ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights. This way we create a more inclusive society that benefits us all.
In conclusion, Estonia, currently a member of the UN Security Council takes women`s equal and meaningful participation in peace and security agenda very seriously. Likewise, without equality, there cannot be sustainable development. This is why gender equality will always be one of the priorities in Estonia’s development cooperation and humanitarian aid initiatives.
Mr President, I hope that, when assessing the progress of Sustainable Development Goals in 10 years, we can be proud of ourselves.
Thank you