International Women鈥檚 Day 2023: UK Statement to the OSCE
Ambassador Neil Bush outlines the UK鈥檚 commitments to gender equality and the launch of the International Women and Girls Strategy.
Thank you, Mr Chair.
International Women鈥檚 Day in 2023 comes at a time when threats to gender equality continue to increase. Climate change and humanitarian crises disproportionately affect women and girls. We continue to see attempts to row back on women鈥檚 rights in countries such as Iran and Afghanistan. Violence against women is growing online. And horrific levels of conflict-related sexual violence are being perpetrated through Russia鈥檚 illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The theme of International Women鈥檚 Day in 2023 is 鈥淓mbrace Equity鈥�, focused on opening up a conversation on why equal opportunities are not sufficient on their own to effect change. Equitable action is required to bring about true inclusion.
The UK is committed to improving the outlook for women and girls globally. Yesterday our Foreign Secretary launched the UK鈥檚 International Women and Girls Strategy, during a visit to his mother鈥檚 hometown in Sierra Leone. The Strategy sets out how the UK is putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. We will stand up and speak out for women and girls鈥� rights and freedoms at every opportunity, work with our partners to do the same, and build international consensus to stop those intent on rolling back on rights and putting hard-won progress into reverse.
Advancing gender equality is not just the right thing to do 鈥� it is a policy from which everyone benefits. Greater gender equality is the fundamental building block of all healthy democracies. It brings freedom, boosts prosperity and trade, strengthens global and regional security, and builds resilience.
The UK has a strong track record on gender equality. Since 2015 we have supported the education of more than 8 million of the world鈥檚 most vulnerable girls. Since 2013, we have helped secure pledges from over 10,000 communities 鈥� representing over 27 million people 鈥� to abandon Female Genital Mutilation. In November 2022, we hosted the 鈥楶reventing Sexual Violence Initiative鈥� International Conference, and launched a new Political Declaration endorsed by 53 countries.
Empowering women and girls, and preventing violence against them, will remain a UK priority. We are committed to ensuring every girl receives at least 12 years of quality education, and to ending the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030.
Mr Chair, we can only build a fairer, freer, safer, wealthier and greener world if we put women and girls at the heart of the OSCE鈥檚 work. Women鈥檚 leadership, perspectives and knowledge are essential for local, national and regional progress. At the PC/FSC yesterday we discussed the issue of Women, Peace and Security, which demonstrated that participating States remain overwhelmingly in favour of the OSCE doing more on this across our region.
It is vital that participating States fulfil their commitments to gender equality 鈥� set out in the 1999 Charter for European Security, and related decisions 鈥� and ensure adequate funding for OSCE executive structures working to implement the organisation鈥檚 gender equality commitments.
As we have stated previously, International Women鈥檚 Day is not just a day. It is about the actions we take every day to ensure the equal rights of all women and girls.
Thank you, Mr Chair.