Remarks by H.E. Mr. Abdulla Shahid, President of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly

17 May 2022

 

Excellencies,

Dear friends,

 

It is a pleasure to convene this third meeting of the Gender Advisory Board.

 

I wish to extend a special welcome to Ambassador Claver Gatete, the new Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the UN, 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.

 

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.

 

Likewise, I am grateful for the support and participation of this Board at yesterday’s inauguration of the lactation rooms.

 

The lactation rooms and the inauguration event were a joint effort, and I thank the UN Secetariat, UN-Women, and the Governments of El Salvador and New Zealand for their generous support.

 

This is an additional step towards advancing gender parity in the United Nations – and one that I am very proud of – given its potential to create awareness on the benefits and importance of family spaces within the work and public spheres.

 

It is my hope that through its establishment, the lactation rooms will inspire Member States, UN agencies, civil society groups, and those visiting the UN premises to emulate the creation of these spaces in their respective organisations.

 

I am confident that I can count on your ongoing support in advancing these efforts.

 

My friends,

 

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.

 

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.

 

In this context, allow me to make a few proposals for the consideration of this Board.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

With those few proposals, I look forward to your valuable insights and the discussions to follow.

 

I thank you