5주차｜사회·노동·인권 (+ 난민·이주)_조홍진

[조홍진]

Secretary-General's remarks at the Opening of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

Speaker: António Guterres, Secretary-General

Date: 10 March 2025

Words: 743

https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statements/2025-03-10/secretary-generals-remarks-the-opening-of-the-69th-session-of-the-commission-the-status-of-women-scroll-down-for-all-english-and-all-french-versions

*편집본입니다*

글로서리

1.    Beijing 베이징 선언 및 행동강령

2.    patriarchy 가부장제

3.    misogyny 여성혐오

4.    The Pact for the Future 미래를 위한 협약

5.    the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative 유엔 스포트라이트 이니셔티브

(여성 대상 폭력 근절 프로그램)

Mr. Chair, Excellencies, dear friends,

In the face of immense obstacles, you strive to make our societies more just, more fair, more representative – and as a result more resilient and more prosperous for everyone. 

I salute you and I thank you. 

Excellencies, dear Friends,
We gather as the world marks thirty years since countries convened in Beijing…
Reaffirmed women’s rights as human rights…
Of course, we always knew that would never happen overnight – or even over years. 
But three decades on, that promise feels more distant than we might ever have imagined. 
Women’s rights are under siege.

The poison of patriarchy is back.

Slamming the brakes on action; tearing-up progress; and mutating into new and dangerous forms.
But there is an antidote.
That antidote is action.
Now is the time for those who care about equality for women and girls to stand up and to speak out.
Now is the time for the world to accelerate progress and deliver on the promise of Beijing.

Excellencies, dear Friends,

In the past thirty years, the world has moved forward: 
In boosting girls’ education, cutting maternal mortality, increasing legal protections, and more. 
But immense gaps persist.
Age-old horrors like violence, discrimination, and economic inequality are rife.
The gender pay gap still stands at twenty percent.
Globally, almost one in three women have been subject to violence.
And horrific sexual violence in conflict is happening from Haiti to Sudan. 
In many countries, women and girls are still denied the most basic of rights:
The right not to be raped by your husband.
The right to own property or confer citizenship on an equal footing with men, or to access credit without your husband’s permission.
And around the world, hard-won gains are being thrown into reverse:
Reproductive rights are under attack, and equality initiatives discarded.

In Afghanistan, women and girls have been stripped of their most basic rights, forbidden even from raising their voices in public.
Meanwhile, new technologies are creating the conditions to allow new platforms for violence and abuse, normalizing misogyny and online revenge.
Up to 95 per cent of all online deepfakes are non-consensual pornographic images.
And unequal access to technologies inflames existing inequalities.

Excellencies, dear friends,
COVID-19 saw a swell of violence against women and girls, and labour market participation fall.
The debt crisis is draining funds and shrinking fiscal space for programmes of gender equality. 
Escalating climate disasters are hitting women and girls hardest. 
And equality for women and girls is a casualty of surging conflicts around the world. 

Yet, global crises are not the only obstacles.

Funding for women’s human rights organizations has nose-dived. 
Civic space is shrinking.
Women’s rights defenders increasingly face harassment and threats.

And around the world, the masters of misogyny are gaining in strength, confidence and influence.
We see it in attempts to gut women’s human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Dear Friends,
Equality for women and girls is a human right.
It is a matter of justice.
It is the foundation of sustainable development and lasting peace.
And it is essential for humanity.
By ensuring access to quality education for girls, and opening the doors of opportunity to decent work for women, we kick-start economic growth and we forge stronger economies.

And by giving women and girls their rightful seat at the table, we boost our chances of solving immense challenges – from climate to conflict.

So how do we accelerate progress? 

First — by boosting sustainable finance for sustainable development – to deliver sustainable funding for women’s equality.
The Pact for the Future, agreed last year, takes bold strides forward.

The rights of women and girls run through the Pact.
I urge all countries to deliver its commitments in full.
And to prioritize investments in gender equality:
Investments in education and training…
Investments in economic empowerment – including adequate pay and pensions for care givers – the majority of whom are women.

And investments to eradicate all forms of violence and harassment – the United Nations’ Spotlight Initiative shows what a difference they can make.

Second – we need to step-up support for women’s organizations.
They play a vital role in accountability – in pushing progress, defending rights, and ensuring women and girls are heard. 

We need governments to expand the space for civil society. 
And to protect women’s human rights defenders, and ensure those threatening them are brought to justice.
We must also strengthen institutional accountability mechanisms within governments to drive progress.