On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of 189 UN Member States adopting the Beijing Platform for Action, an action plan for achieving the goals of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven delivered a digital address to the UN General Assembly on 1 October on the theme of gender equality in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his speech, Mr Löfven spoke about how 2020 – a year of several anniversaries in the area of gender equality – has been overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic and how the crisis is causing an even wider gap between women and men in many places. At the same time, women have often played a key role in health care and stood on the front line during the crisis.
Mr Löfven ended his speech by stressing that now is the time for those in power and decision-makers to accelerate the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action and that Sweden is ready to play its part.