Remarks by H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly,
at the First Meeting of the Advisory Board on Gender Equality
[As Delivered]
13 November 2023
Excellencies,
Distinguished members of this Board,
I am pleased to welcome you for our first meeting of the 78th Session.
I will wish to thank and welcome the new members who are joining us today.
I am greatly appreciative of your commitment to the important work of the Advisory Board on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment.
We find ourselves at a crucial juncture in history – transit the midpoint of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; 28 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration; and 75 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
I take a pause here to make one point: during this period, in the last month in particular, I have decided to banish the word “celebrate” from any text that emerges from my office.
There is nothing to celebrate. Except one thing, which we will celebrate, and that is the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
That, we will celebrate. Apart from that, we will mark, we will commemorate, but we will not celebrate.
Despite these milestones, the world is still a far cry from achieving gender equality and the full empowerment of all women and girls.
Here at the UN, it is imperative that we not only talk the talk but that we walk it, by leading by example to ensure that women and girls meaningfully participate in all spheres of society.
As the President of the General Assembly and as a Gender Champion, I am committed to rendering much needed leadership for the United Nations to play its rightful role on this important matter.
To that end, I have appointed Ambassador Keisha McGuire – who sits to my right – as my Special Envoy and Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment – who will work closely with each of you to coordinate the work of this Board on my behalf.
Allow me to also take this opportunity to recognize the stellar work and contributions of Ambassador Thilmeeza Hussain, as the coordinator of this Board during the 77th session.
Friends, I have made dedicated effort to achieve gender equality within my office; of which I am proud to say that the majority of my team leaders – along with the 57% ratio compared to men – are women.
In addition, I am dedicated to fulfilling the gender parity mandate given by the General Assembly in its revitalization resolution.
I am therefore pleased to say we have also successfully achieved gender parity among the co-chairs and co-facilitators of intergovernmental processes.
Furthermore, I will strive to ensure parity among all panellists and invited speakers for all General Assembly meetings and events throughout this Session.
My office diligently monitors the gender balance of all GA meetings and will publish the results on our website for the first time in the history of the General Assembly’s work.
That is an innovative step that we are taking.
Distinguished members of this Board,
The 78th Session presents numerous opportunities for gender mainstreaming.
The negotiations on the Summit of the Future, the Declaration of Future Generations, the Global Digital Compact, and other mandated processes will be pivotal in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
These processes will yield far-reaching effects – and I eagerly await your insights on how we can seize these opportunities to embed gender considerations into all dimensions of our work.
In addition, the 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women will focus on addressing poverty, strengthening institutions, and gender-informed financing – issues that are central to removing the obstacles to gender equality.
I will also convene a Gayap Dialogue that will focus exclusively on women’s rights and empowerment – and my office will leverage international days and campaigns, such as the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and the International Day of Women in Diplomacy, to inspire the next generation of women leaders.
Last session, I, along with the Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Women, participated in the inaugural commemoration of the International Day of Women in Diplomacy – an event that would not have seen the light without the invaluable contributions of the people around this table.
I look forward to the continuation—and the further amplification of— these positive initiatives, for we all know: the journey towards gender equality is not without its challenges.
It is notable that currently – out of the six Chairs of Main Committees – only one is a woman. It is also disappointing that the percentage of women serving as Permanent Representatives in New York seems to have stalled around 25% for years.
In this regard, I welcome your insights on how we might encourage Member States to nominate more women diplomats for leadership positions in the General Assembly.
I also see important contributions by this Advisory Board in creating an inclusive work environment at the UN and beyond.
In particular, the training campaign on gender equality and the prevention of sexual harassment in partnership with UN-Women, has yielded promising results.
During the 77th Session, 44 Permanent Missions joined this initiative – and we aim to build on these efforts to reach many more Missions in New York and potentially in Geneva and elsewhere.
We do this because gender mainstreaming must – MUST – start with changing the mindsets in our own ‘backyard’ – here at the UN.
The Board has also worked towards establishing an Emergency Day Care Centre at the United Nations Headquarters – to enable delegates and staff to strike a healthy and supportive work-life balance.
In collaboration with the Secretariat, we eagerly anticipate that this session will see the realisation of this noble vision and critical initiative, as envisaged by my predecessor President Shahid of the 76th session.
Indeed, we cannot achieve true gender equality in the workplace without flexible childcare solutions.
I look forward to learning from your wisdom to guide the work of the General Assembly in mainstreaming gender throughout our deliberations and programmes.
I firmly believe that, together, we can make great strides towards a more inclusive and gender-equal world.
I now pass the floor to Special Adviser on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, Ambassador Keisha McGuire, who will moderate the ensuing interactive discussion.
I thank you.
