Thank you for delivering the Annual Progress Report today, Secretary General.
I express with horror the terrible effects that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has had on women and girls, as was highlighted in last week’s Moscow Mechanism findings.
As you mentioned, gender equality and combating all forms of violence against women and girls are crucial to the OSCE’s comprehensive concept of security and stability.
Today, I’ll concentrate on three points in your Report: the COVID-19 pandemic’s ongoing effects on gender equality;
the necessity of fully implementing the WPS agenda, including in conflict mediation, peacemaking, and negotiation processes; and the devastating and disproportionate effects that Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine is having on the safety, security, and general well-being of Ukrainian women and girls.
First off, as you noted in the prologue to your report, the ongoing regress on gender equality we’ve witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic is still a major cause for concern.
Existing gender disparities have been exacerbated, women have been disproportionately affected by economic hardship and caregiving duties, and domestic violence has horrifyingly increased throughout the region.
We have seen an alarming decline in the safety and human rights situation for women and girls in Afghanistan, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.
We must all work together to address this and recover from the epidemic in a healthier and more inclusive way.
The UK applauds the OSCE for continuing its crucial efforts to increase the capacity of shelters for victims of violence and assist them in long-term maintenance of their core services.
Second, the OSCE has a crucial part to play in putting the agenda for women, peace, and security into action.
We value the continued efforts made by the Executive Structures to assist the participating States in its execution.
We value the efforts being made to guarantee that a gender perspective is taken into consideration in all facets of peace processes and conflict resolution, including mediation.
We place a strong focus on the leadership, representation, and full, equal participation of women in all facets of peace processes and at all levels of decision-making.
We will continue to fight for this through the creation of our new National Action Plan on WPS, which will start in early 2023.
We applaud the recently introduced OSCE Networking Platform for Women Leaders, which now includes peacebuilders and mediators.
The OSCE’s toolkit for “Inclusion of Women and Effective Peace Processes” is another thing I’d like to mention.
We continue to urge full utilisation of this resource because it is an important one for conflict mediation in all OSCE situations.
Thirdly, the prologue by the Secretary-General emphasised the devastating effects that Russia’s war against Ukraine has had on Ukrainian women and girls.
According to the Moscow Mechanism study from last week, this involves a higher risk of trafficking, maltreatment, and sexual violence.
I applaud the incredible bravery of Ukrainian women who have served their communities, investigated war crimes, fought for women’s rights, and worked to create a sustainable future.
We once more urge the Russian Federation to put an end to this unjustified conflict.
I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has worked to advance the OSCE’s agenda for women, peace, and security and gender equality.
We also acknowledge Sweden’s work in 2021 and Poland’s commitment on gender equality as Chair this year.
Gender must be completely included into all aspects of the organization’s functioning, including any mediation procedures.