PRESS RELEASE: We Have to Move Forward

At the International Women's Day commemoration at the United Nations in New York today, UN Women Executive Director Michelle Bachelet made a rallying call to the international community to move forward on gender equality and women's rights.

At the packed event “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end violence against women” organized under the umbrella of the UNiTE Campaign, and attended by the UN Secretary- General Ban Ki- moon, H.E. Mr. Gérard Araud, Permanent Representative of France to the UN, Member States, representatives of civil society and the private sector, Ms. Bachelet highlighted the progress that has been made in the last century but called for more robust action and commitments to ensure the protection of the rights of women and girls to live in dignity, free of violence and discrimination.

HIGHLIGHTS OF MS. BACHELET'S STATEMENT

“We have moved forward with the 1979 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, CEDAW, the 1994 Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the ICPD+5 Key Actions for further implementation. We have moved forward with the Platform for Action of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the Security Council's landmark resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, its subsequent resolutions and all international human rights conventions. My message today is: We cannot move backwards, we must keep moving forward. It is what we owe to millions of women fighting for their rights around the world.”

“There can be no peace, no progress, no equality without women's full and equal rights and participation. And there can be no gender equality without women's realization. Women's realization of their full reproductive rights, their right to sexual and reproductive health, are essential to the empowerment of women and to gender equality.”

“I am pleased to announce that 50 governments and the European Commission have committed to take concrete action to end violence against girls and women…From Argentina to Australia, Brazil to Colombia and Denmark, Germany to Jamaica, Liberia to Thailand, from Slovakia to the Republic of Korea, countries have committed to take action. We just heard good news from the United States of America, where the Violence against Women Act was signed by President Obama, and from here to all regions of the world, governments have pledged actions to end violence against women and girls, and guarantee access to critical services and justice. Together we must keep the promise so women and girls can, one day, in this century, live free of fear and violence.”

“Right now, we are meeting at the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. We have the historic opportunity to make strong commitments, to move forward to prevent and end these widespread human rights violations. The 57th Commission on the Status of Women must uphold, and should advance, the full human rights of women. This is what women and girls all over the world expect from us! We truly have to go the extra mile.”