Informal Plenary Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for a Sustainable World:

A Panel Discussion with the President’s Group of Gender Equality Leaders

15 July 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

ECOSOC Chamber

United Nations Headquarters, New York

Background and Objective

As the fourth woman at the helm of the General Assembly in the history of the UN, the President of the 73 ^rd session of the General Assembly recognizes that women decision makers must lead by example to safeguard the achievements and accelerate progress towards gender equality for all women and girls.

As part of her commitment to gender equality, the President has established an informal group of eminent leaders to identify barriers that hinder women’s full participation and leadership and share best practices that can accelerate women’s empowerment.

In the framework of the second meeting of the group, the members of the Group will participate in a High-Level Panel Discussion.

The event will bring together this diverse group of leaders representing a variety of background and ideas but sharing one common goal: to accelerate the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women in their own communities and around the world.

In line with the theme of this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, the event will focus on empowerment, equality and inclusion as critical elements to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

The event will also provide a platform to follow up on the President of the General Assembly high-level event on ‘Women in Power’, held on 12 March 2019, and will aim to identify best practices to implement the key action points included in the ‘Call for Action’, released during the event.