September 26, 2014 - New York City, United States
Check Against Delivery
I thank the Government of Croatia for hosting this important discussion and our speakers today for so ably describing the issue in their respective countries.
Equality between women and men, the empowerment of women and girls, and their full participation in all aspects of the lives of their communities and countries are fundamental Canadian values.
We work to promote the human rights and well-being of women and girls around the world through our contributions to improving maternal, child and newborn health, eliminating all violence and discrimination against women and girls, and ending child, early and forced marriage.
Just to touch on a few examples, Canada has funded four workshops in Sierra Leone that used UN Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security to promote women’s participation in decision making and in the prevention of sexual violence.
These workshops were attended by 150 government officials, various religious leaders, community elders and more than 700 local woman leaders.
Canada has also been supporting projects that deliver basic services to over 600,000 Burmese refugees living in camps in Thailand and other border areas.
These projects work to deliver maternal, newborn and child health care, and support women to take on community leadership roles and women’s organizations in developing programs to address the needs of their communities.
Discrimination and violence against women and girls often lead to poor health, lack of access to education, and child, early and forced marriage.
They deprive women and girls of their dignity, prevent them from leading fulfilling and productive lives, as well as impede development and prosperity in their communities and countries, especially in conflict and post-conflict situations.
As we look around the world, we continue to see that the stability and development of a country is a direct result of the empowerment of its women.
2015 will be an important year, with the global reviews for peacebuilding, peacekeeping and especially the global study on the role of women in peace and security.
It is vital to ensure that the issue of the empowerment of women receives the attention it deserves.
Canada continues to call for the Post-2015 Development Agenda to include equality between women and men and an enhanced role for women’s leadership and participation in conflict-affected and emergency situations.
Saro Khatchadourian
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular)
613-944-2300
Saro.Khatchadourian@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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