Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly
17 May 2022
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Excellencies,
Dear friends,
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It is a pleasure to convene this third meeting of the Gender Advisory Board.
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I wish to extend a special welcome to Ambassador Claver Gatete, the new Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ, who continues the role of his predecessor, as Co-Chair of the Group of Friends on Gender Parity. Ambassador, a very warm welcome to you.
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Over the past 8 months, this Board has taken incredible strides to advance gender equality. I thank each of you for your stellar contributions and your continuous engagements on this front.
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Likewise, I am grateful for the support and participation of this Board at yesterday¡¯s inauguration of the lactation rooms.
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The lactation rooms and the inauguration event were a joint effort, and I thank the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secetariat, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ-Women, and the Governments of El Salvador and New Zealand for their generous support.
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This is an additional step towards advancing gender parity in the United Nations ¨C and one that I am very proud of ¨C given its potential to create awareness on the benefits and importance of family spaces within the work and public spheres.
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It is my hope that through its establishment, the lactation rooms will inspire Member States, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ agencies, civil society groups, and those visiting the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ premises to emulate the creation of these spaces in their respective organisations.
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I am confident that I can count on your ongoing support in advancing these efforts.
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My friends,
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During some of my recent engagements around gender equality, many have higlighted the importance of engaging boys and men in the fight against gender inequality.
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Indeed, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls is a responsibility for all; it requires a change in mindsets, and collective conscious in the recognition and prevention of gender bias.
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In this context, allow me to make a few proposals for the consideration of this Board.
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First, as confirmed through my engagements with leaders and stakeholders, it is the view of many that the role of men and boys as gender allies needs to be elevated. I would invite your views and suggestions on some of the activities and advocacy efforts we can carry out on this front.
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Second, in stepping up against gender bias, it is my intention to launch ¡®I say no to sexism¡¯ campaign in June, together with other International Gender Champions. I would welcome and value your recommendations on how to take this initiative forward.
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Third, to complement these advocacy efforts, I will continue to air my video podcast series. The podcast series is a platform for women and girls to share their stories, to amplify their voices, and to rectify historical injustices of unequal gender representation. I welcome your ideas on how we can further utilise the podcast series to empower women and girls.
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With those few proposals, I look forward to your valuable insights and the discussions to follow.
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I thank you