Director-General's remarks at the World Women's Forum

World Women’s Forum

Plenary session “Towards a Green Future” 

Thursday, 22 August 2024 at 10.00 a.m.

“Ikh Mongol” Hall, State Palace, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Your Excellency Mr. Khurelsukh [President of Mongolia], 

Your Excellency Ms. Battsetseg [Minister for Foreign Affairs], 

Deputy Secretary-General [Ms. Amina J. Mohammed],

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen, 

I am very pleased to join you today for the World Women’s Forum, a platform that powerfully underscores the critical role women play in shaping our world’s future. I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Government of Mongolia for its leadership in hosting this high-level event to underscore that women’s empowerment and gender equality are vital for the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

In our modern world, finding solutions to interconnected problems is challenging. Aggravating climate change, a difficult post-pandemic recovery, multiple conflicts around the world, technological disruptions – all these issues have far-reaching consequences that affect us across borders. We have no choice but to work together, as representatives of governments, International Organizations, civil society, women and youth organizations and academia, to resolve these challenges. We all look forward to the Summit of the Future in a few weeks to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and advance our future.

Gender equality lies at the core of meaningful and long-lasting transformations. And even if progress in gender equality over the last century has been remarkable, much more needs to be done. Advancing gender equality requires not just participation, but leadership – from both women and men – to make gender equality the norm.

At the United Nations, gender equality is at the heart of our mission – in work across the world and in striving for parity in the Organization itself. Thanks to the UN Secretary-General’s leadership and the determination of the UN Deputy Secretary-General, Under Secretary-General, Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, the UN has achieved parity at the levels of Resident Coordinators, Heads and Deputy Heads of Missions in peace operations, much before the targeted deadline. This is a great example to show that if there is a will, there is a way. At the UN Office at Geneva, which I have the honour to head, we have achieved gender parity across all professional categories, exemplifying our commitment to leading by example.

Geneva has been the birthplace of the International Gender Champions initiative, which has spread to other UN locations in the last nine years. This leadership network brings together decision-makers committed to breaking down gender barriers. Sometimes seemingly simple actions by leaders – for example, by not speaking at panels where only one gender is represented – send powerful messages and advance culture change. In Geneva, this helped us transform the international scene and include women’s voices in crucial discussions.

We have more and more women heading International Organizations based in Geneva (11 out of 39) – almost one third, and for most of these entities, it is the first time for them to be led by women. We also note a changing landscape in the representations of the UN Member States and Permanent Observers: about 1/3 of the missions are led by women, including Mongolia. This means that more women leaders bring their perspectives to international discussion and decision-making tables on a variety of issues, including on green transition – the topic of our Forum. 

At the UN Office at Geneva, we also initiate some innovative projects aimed at the empowerment of women, and I am very pleased that Mongolia joined us in this endeavor. Today, on the sidelines of this Forum, in collaboration with the Office of the President of Mongolia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Association of Women and Empowerment, we will open the national photo exhibition “17 Faces of Action” at the Chinggis Khan Museum. This exhibition showcases the remarkable contributions of 17 Mongolian women to the implementation of the SDGs. Mongolia has become the 9^th country to join our initiative, which will culminate with the grand exhibition uniting all those female faces of action in early 2025 for the reopening of the historic Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Women’s contributions are indispensable in every domain – from ending poverty and hunger to fostering peace and justice, to combating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability. Women’s leadership and innovation drive progress, and their empowerment is essential for advancing our common objectives.

I wish all the participants of this Forum fruitful and insightful discussions.

Thank you.