Remarks by the President of the General Assembly,
H.E Ms. Annalena Baerbock
at the High-Level Meeting of the General Assembly on the Thirtieth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women?
Monday, 22 September 2025, 10am
[As Delivered]
¡°Human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights, once and for all¡±
When these famous words were spoken by Hillary Clinton 30 years ago in Beijing, they were revolutionary.
But if our daughters heard this today, wouldn¡¯t they rather think: Why would women¡¯s rights not be human rights?
Our daughters, who are the fastest sprinter in their high school, our daughters who are the CEO of an AI startup. Our daughters who have watched their mothers become the first female President of the Marshall Islands, of Namibia, North Macedonia, Peru, Slovenia, or Suriname, all Presidents joining us here today.
For so many of you, of us here in this room, we hold positions that when we ourselves were young, seemed unattainable, but are now almost normal for the next generation.
Because we stand on the shoulders of giants, on the shoulders of the women who paved the way forward, also for us. Towards a world in which our daughters today regard “women’s rights are human rights” as a simple fact, not something revolutionary.
Mr. Secretary-General,
Excellencies,
Feminist leaders,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we celebrate the courageous women who fought for every single phrase, for every single word in the Beijing Declaration.
Their fight paid off.
The Beijing Declaration was a watershed achievement advancing women¡¯s rights, resources, and representation.
As ¡°Mama Mongella¡±, how she was called, stated in 1995, ¡°A revolution has begun. There¡¯s no going back.¡±
Yet 30 years later, the revolution remains unfinished.
When the phrase ¡°she runs like a girl¡± is hurled as an insult.
When highly qualified CEOs are called ¡°diversity hires¡±.
When a female world leader is attacked on social media not for the speech she gave but for the wrong high heels she wore.
That is when we remember how far we still have to go.
There is still no country in the world where women¡¯s rights are fully equal to men.
And there are still too many places where even speaking about women¡¯s rights is a matter of life and death.
Just weeks ago in Afghanistan, after the deadly earthquake, women and girls were left trapped in rubble as male rescuers were forbidden from touching them.
As one survivor said, “Being a woman here means we are always the last to be seen.”
We see this also in Sudan, where the brutal civil war between two generals is literally being fought over women¡¯s bodies.
I still have her voice in my ear¡ªwhen one mother told me, while I was sitting with her in a refugee camp, that she wishes they all would have been simply killed instead of having to see her two daughters being raped over and over again.
This year alone, demand for lifesaving post-rape support in Sudan increased almost 4 times.
This is no exception.
1 in 3 women globally will experience sexual violence at some point in her lifetime.
1 out of 3. This is us.
And these battles extend to family planning¡ªÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵFPA estimates that today a quarter of women are unable to make decisions about their own healthcare, and roughly half of all pregnancies are unintended.
Delivering on Beijing, on this revolution, means also that no male politician, judge, or religious leader should dare to tell our girls what to do with their bodies, because they are human beings, not property.
It¡¯s our body. Our choice.
In this regard, I¡¯m honoured we are joined by our first guest speaker, Cecilia Su¨¢rez, who is using her platform to speak out against this scourge in Latin America and the Caribbean, affecting as many as 76% of women in the region.
But even in the darkest hours, women are not victims.
They are survivors. They are heroes.
And it is an extreme honour that we will also hear from guest speaker and Nobel Laureate Nadia Murad¡ªa hero who not only survived the unthinkable crimes of ISIS but gave Yazidi women a voice, and by that, defeated a terrorist organization.
Women like Nadia Murad remind us that women¡¯s rights are not only human rights, but human rights are the best weapon for peace.
Excluding women peacebuilders doesn’t just reduce the possibility of peace¡ªit undermines its very foundation and longevity.
Therefore, we are celebrating today not only Beijing, but also 25 years of Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
Excellencies,
Beijing and Resolution 1325 promised not only rights, but also resources, and there, the revolution has barely begun.
At the current rate, reaching economic equality will take 123 years.
But women¡¯s economic empowerment is not just about doing a favour for women, but a favour for every society, every economy.
As they say, it¡¯s economics, stupid.
Closing the gender gap would increase global GDP by 7 trillion US dollars.
Which brings us to the third ¡°R¡±¡ªrepresentation.
We all know that when women are at the table, companies perform better, peace treaties last longer, and governments deliver more.
Their presence is power.
Yet, in this hall of principles, last year, fewer than 10% of speakers during high-level week were women.
And out of all 80 Presidents of the General Assembly, I am only the fifth woman.
Not even speaking about the Secretary-General, where in 80 years we have never had a female SG.
This is not just a matter of representation, it is a matter of credibility, to practice what we preach.
But it is not only who is leading, it is how we lead.
Leadership means collaboration.
The theme of this 80th?session overall is Better Together¡ªa motto which also guided Beijing, where so many women came together in networks like FEMNET, led by Memory Kachambwa, a guest speaker here also today.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today we celebrate this spirit of Better Together and the courage of the women who paved the path to Beijing and beyond.
But¡tomorrow we go back to work.
As female Presidents, as male Presidents, as Olympic sprinters, as CEOs, as ordinary mothers and daughters.
And just in case, while finishing the revolution from Beijing, we might hear that contemptuous phrase, ¡°you run like a girl¡±, we should remember what little girls all around the world would do¡. exactly that:
Proudly run like a girl.
Fast as hell.
Even in high heels.
Showing that women¡¯s rights are always human rights.
That they are our rights.
Our future.
***