Secretary-General's message to High-Level Forum on "Women Enhancing Democracy: Best Practices"

We have long worked to promote greater participation of women at all levels of society, and recent events bear out the importance of our activities. In Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere, women are in the vanguard of demanding democratic change, human rights, dignity and opportunity.

I join these women in calling for faster and wider progress in meeting these aspirations. The United Nations stands ready to assist in any way we can.

We know that when women are marginalized, democracies are threatened. When women are included, democracies thrive. And when women take their rightful leadership roles, all of society benefits.

Thanks largely to the efforts of women themselves, we have seen great advances in recent decades. More women, in more countries, are taking their place in government.

But fewer than 10 per cent of countries have female heads of State or government. Fewer than 30 countries have reached the target of 30 per cent women in national parliaments.

We need to take specific steps to close this gender gap. Experience shows that the democratic ideals of inclusiveness, accountability and transparency are only achieved through laws, policies and special measures that address inequalities.

Moreover, it is not enough to push for women's participation only during elections. Our work to ensure gender equality must start with girls getting the food, health care and education they deserve, equal to boys. It must continue through all stages of life. And it must cover all realms, from the world of business to the halls of government and beyond.

The United Nations has amply documented how women's involvement contributes to building more transparent and inclusive democracies. We have seen this in our support for women in agriculture and the media, in judicial systems and grassroots networks, in peacetime and in post-conflict settings.

I am working to incorporate a gender perspective into all United Nations democracy-building activities. UN Women, our new agency, is leading the campaign for gender equality and women's empowerment around the world. And the United Nations Democracy Fund finances projects in more than 100 countries to strengthen the voice of women –from supporting women's work for peace in Colombia, to training women in the rule of law in Sudan; from educating women voters in the Arab world to creating a women's parliament in Azerbaijan.

These are vibrant times in democracy assistance. Your discussions can contribute to our global drive for all people to enjoy the rights and responsibilities of true democracy. I wish you great success.