Feminist Foreign Policy + Group Statement at the Fifth Thematic Consultation of Our Common Agenda

I am pleased to speak on behalf of the Feminist Foreign Policy + Group and aligned Member States – a cross-regional group of Member States[1] with strong gender equality policies, several of us with a Feminist Foreign Policy.

At the outset, let me express our full solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, in particular all women and girls, including those who have been forced to flee their country and find themselves in a situation of displacement and vulnerability, exposed to different forms of sexual and gender-based violence. The full, equal and meaningful participation of Ukrainian women in peace efforts and decision-making processes must be ensured, in line with UN Security Council resolution 1325 and subsequent Women, Peace and Security resolutions. We condemn in the strongest terms Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

We further stress the centrality of ensuring a sustained focus on all crises and conflict situations, in particular, the situation for women and girls in these contexts.

Secretary-General,

Our Common Agenda puts forth transformative objectives, not least related to peace, gender equality, health, climate and economic structures. Only transformative action can allow us to achieve these objectives.

We fully support OCA and echo its calls to advance gender equality, inclusion and a renewed social contract anchored in human rights. If we are to succeed in this agenda of action designed to accelerate the implementation of existing agreements, including the Sustainable Development Goals, we must use human rights-based, gender-transformative and feminist approaches. These approaches must also look at the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination facing women and girls, in all their diversity.

Today’s topic – enhancing international cooperation – is a cornerstone for creating the networked, inclusive and effective multilateralism that OCA calls for. How we cooperate and with whom are key questions here – questions that need to be approached with a gender perspective.

As our joint priorities and commitments, we would like to highlight the following:

• One, we have to discuss resources and what and how we fund. Transforming unequal power structures requires considerable expertise and adequate, long-term and predictable resources. This important endeavour must receive the support it deserves. We commit to promoting gender-responsiveness and human rights in budgetary decisions, not least in the Fifth Committee, in Official Development Assistance and in our own domestic budgetary processes. We will promote a dedicated focus on adequate, flexible and sustainable funding to women human rights defenders, feminist and gender equality organizations. Furthermore, we will continue to support a restructuring of economic systems to create an enabling environment for all women’s agency, leadership and empowerment. As mentioned in the OCA report, this includes finding ways to facilitate women’s economic inclusion, including through large-scale investment in the care and informal economy, valuing unpaid care work in economic models and investing in quality paid care as part of essential public services and social protection arrangements.
• Two, we need to promote diverse, inclusive and equal partnerships. We fully support OCA’s emphasis on multi-stakeholder partnerships that are cross-regional, intergenerational and involve actors from all sectors and levels. We particularly stress the centrality of meaningful engagement of women’s rights and feminist organizations. As Member States, we have the responsibility to make civil society participation part and parcel of our work at multilateral forums. The Generation Equality Forum proved to be a successful multi-stakeholder platform driven by civil society and youth to accelerate equality, leadership and opportunities for women and girls worldwide and CSW is also a key platform for promoting multi-stakeholder exchanges, partnerships and accountability. We commend these platforms’ substantive contribution to the achievement of gender equality, empowerment of all women and girls and full realization of all human rights for all women and girls and call on all Member States to join and build on this momentum.
• Three, we must make it safe to participate. Currently, civil society actors are facing threats and reprisals for engaging in peace or political processes, or in public life at large. This is particularly the case for women human rights defenders and peacebuilders.  This is unacceptable. It illustrates that their full, equal, effective and meaningful participation is simply not possible unless we simultaneously ensure their and their families’ protection. Here we strongly welcome the SG’s Call to Action for Human Rights and its mutually reinforcing relation to OCA, as well as the OCA’s aim to include voices of younger women, and look forward to supporting their comprehensive, full and effective implementation.
• Our final point is on leadership. Gender-transformative analyses and promotion of gender equality are not ad-hoc activities. Rather, these are goals in themselves and indispensable prerequisites for achieving the common OCA goals. This systematic approach needs to be fully backed and implemented by the leadership level – nationally, internationally and at the UN. We are pleased to see the establishment of a High-level Advisory Board for improving governance on global public goods. We encourage the Advisory Board to ensure a rigorous gender-transformative approach and to consult with a broad range of actors, most importantly, civil society and women-led organizations.

We hope to see others join us in these efforts.

Thank you.

[1] Feminist Foreign Policy + Group countries: Albania, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Israel, Luxembourg, Mexico, The Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia

Aligned Member States: Rwanda, Ireland, Finland, Iceland