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

17 June 2022

 

Your Excellency, Ms. Mayra Jiménez, Minister of Women

Your Excellency, Mr. Rafael J. Féliz García

Honourable Gloria Reyes, Director of the Supérate Program

Excellencies, Colleagues and Friends,

I thank you for the warm invitation. It is my pleasure to be here.

All the issues and topics we discuss in the halls of the General Assembly, and across governments and parliaments, relate to shaping the kind of future we want.

Those discussions, including the one we are having today, contribute to shaping the world that the next generation will inherit.

My friends,

First, we must let go of this fiction that the youth are indifferent.

Whenever I meet and interact with young people during my travels, I find that they are curious about the world, and keen to engage with its challenges.

They follow our words and actions closely, to see if they align with their priorities. To see if we can deliver the bold and effective leadership that they demand, and deserve.

They want to know if we can resolve the issues at the forefront of the global agenda: the climate crisis, peace and security, human rights, sustainable development, and recovery from the pandemic, among others.

They want to know how they can meaningfully participate in the actions and conversations that will resolve these crises. They demand to be included in the decisions that affect them.

We in turn, have a responsibility to accommodate that demand. To listen to them and secure a better future for them.

Promoting youth participation has been a priority of my presidency since the very beginning. I have continued to emphasize its importance in my meetings with world leaders.

I have endeavored to meet youth in all of my travels. And my team has made every effort to secure youth involvement in high level events in the General Assembly.

I am proud to note that one of the flagship initiatives of my Presidency – the PGA Fellowship Programme for HOPE, has given the opportunity to 8 young diplomats from underrepresented countries the chance to directly engage with the United Nations and learn the ropes of the multilateral system.

Friends,

I take this opportunity to commend the Dominican Republic for its role as champion of the agenda of youth, peace and security.

In particular, I note its initiative to present Resolution No. 2535 at the Security Council, which was adopted in July 2020, and calls on Member States to closely work with young people when it comes to issues related to peace and security.

Friends,

Conversations about the kind of future we want, also puts on an onus on us to reflect on the past.

To reflect on past-injustices and inequalities, so that we can fix those inequalities going forward.

Resolving gender inequality must be at the forefront of the agenda. For too long, women have been discriminated, marginalized and subject to patriarchal values governing their lives and bodies.

Their ambitions have been muted, their concerns ignored, and their contributions overlooked.

Women are disproportionately impacted by every crisis we confront today, from the pandemic to climate change, to widespread domestic violence and abuse.

This must change now.

I have prioritized gender issues throughout my Presidency. My team makes it a point to include the gender dimension in advancing all my major priorities and initiatives.

I am proud of the work that we have accomplished thus far to advance gender equality. My office has more women than men.

I appointed a Special Adviser on Gender Equality to ensure that women’s empowerment and gender equality are mainstreamed through the priorities of my Presidency.

Recently, with the help of the secretariat, we have expanded and upgraded the lactation rooms in the United Nations’ premises. And we inaugurated a brand-new room, located behind the General Assembly Hall, to ensure that all delegates, including those visiting the UN during high-level week, will no longer have to leave the premises to feed their babies.

My friends,

I applaud that gender equality and women’s empowerment are both key priorities for the Dominican Republic, and I recognize its active role as a member of multiple groups and committees within the UN striving for women’s empowerment.

I commend the Dominican Republic on the National Gender and Climate Change Strategy, which acknowledges that women are especially vulnerable to climate change and has tailored climate resilience strategies accordingly.

These initiatives are to be welcomed and applauded. However, there is much more we must do, nationally, regionally and globally, to empower women.

Whenever I meet with female leaders, diplomats, scientists, or members civil society – regardless of their country or particular field, they reiterate the same common themes and challenges.

They demand to not only be listened to, but also for the barriers hindering the progress of their careers, and preventing them from attaining leadership positions, to be removed.

Working together, we can reverse the injustice of gender inequality and build a brighter and more equitable future.

My friends,

I hope our conversation today, will help lead us in these positive directions.

I hope they will help us understand how we can build a better future for youth, for women, and for all of us.

Thank you.