The FINANCIAL — The Minister for Education and Science, Ms Mārīte Seile, is representing the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the annual Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York.
The session will address the challenges affecting progress in gender equality and the empowerment of women, and will review the tasks required to achieve comprehensive gender equality by 2030, according to EU.
The fifty-ninth session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women which takes place on 9-20 March brings together high-level officials and non-governmental representatives from all over the world. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the adoption by the UN Member States of the Beijing Platform for Action – Work Programme for the advancement of women. On the occasion of the anniversary, UN Member States will adopt a political declaration that commits to fully implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and to using all opportunities to achieve gender equality by 2030.
Speaking on behalf of the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Minister for Education and Science highlighted the progress made in education, employment and research, and the recently adopted coherent legal framework on equal treatment. The Minister did, however, emphasise that gender gaps and discrimination remain in all areas of EU society – the gender pay gap, for example, averages 16% in the EU.
In New York, Ms Seile will also participate in the high-level panel discussion on women and girls in the field of science, technologies, engineering sciences and mathematics co-organised by the Republic of Latvia and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). Meanwhile, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Welfare, Mr Reinis Uzulnieks, will take part in the panel discussion on women’s economic empowerment organised by the Latvian Presidency and the European Commission and, within the framework of this session, he will represent Latvia in several high-level discussions.
During the Latvian Presidency, gender equality issues have been addressed at several events. A High-Level Expert Group Meeting on Gender Equality was held at the end of January in Riga, and the conference entitled “Women’s Economic Empowerment and Sustainable Development – the Synthesis for Success” also took place in Riga in early March. It is expected that the theme of “Women and Media” will also be addressed at the World Press Freedom Day event to be organised in cooperation with UN Women and UNESCO in May.
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