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EU
Statement on the Agreed Conclusions: Financing for Gender Equality and the
Empowerment of Women. 52nd session of CSW - UN Commission on the Status of
Women
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.
Mr. Chairman,
I am taking the floor in order to explain the basis upon which the European
Union has been able to join consensus today on the Agreed Conclusions
entitled “Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women”.
The European Union attaches great importance to accelerated achievement of
the goal of gender equality and the empowerment of women. We believe that
availability of necessary human and financial resources for the empowerment
of women and the commitment for adequate funding identified and mobilized
from all sources and across all sectors to achieve the goals of gender
equality and the empowerment of women have to be made and fully met. The
European Union also believes that remaining obstacles and challenges need to
be exceeded effectively and in a holistic manner and therefore also through
reinforcing national efforts to promote gender equality and women’s rights in
reaching the goals and objectives of gender equality and empowerment of
women, laid down in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the
Beijing follow-up process.
Mr. Chairman,
The Priority Theme of 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women
“Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women” has, in the view
of the European Union, not been aptly addressed.
It is our opinion that financing for gender equality and the empowerment of
women is of relevance for all, namely developed and developing countries
alike. It requires efforts at all levels and in all sectors as well as of all
actors. Existing resources have to be used effectively and in a
gender-responsive and accountable manner. Additional resources may need to be
mobilized from all available sources, both nationally and internationally.
Such a balance between national and international efforts would also
adequately reflect the Monterrey Consensus on Financing for Development. It
is our belief that this has not been adequately reflected in the text of the
Agreed Conclusions of the 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of
Women.
The EU therefore regrets that, in the informal consultations, the priority
theme was frequently narrowed down to a call for more development assistance,
and that the Commission did not take a more holistic and balanced approach to
Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. Furthermore, the
European Union attaches great importance to the work of civil society and
women’s organizations around the world. We regret that their important
contributions to gender equality have not been rightly recognized and that
adequate supporting of their future work toward gender equality and the
empowerment of women has not been appropriately addressed in the text.
Finally, the EU understands the concern about national control over budgetary
processes. However, we believe that a reference to national priorities, as
now contained in the chapeau of paragraph 21 of the Agreed Conclusions,
unnecessarily weakens the text. The EU would like to stress that the
paragraph 21 should not create a precedent for future agreed conclusions. The
European Union would like to reiterate its strong commitment to promoting the
issue of Financing for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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