Intervento nazionale pronunciato dalla Ministra per le Pari Opportunità e la Famiglia, Prof.ssa Elena Bonetti, alla Discussione Generale della 66ma Sessione della Commissione ONU sulla Condizione delle Donne (CSW) —
Mr. President,
Dear Colleagues,
Distinguished Delegates,
Italy aligns itself with the statement delivered by the representative of the European Union and wishes to add the following considerations in a national capacity.
Let me start by voicing, once again, Italy’s complete solidarity with all women and girls entrapped in situations of conflict. At this horrific time, we stand in solidarity especially with the women and girls of Ukraine, who are showing resilience and courage in the face of the unprovoked and completely unjustified Russian aggression. We are determined to do whatever it takes to support and help them.
We are living in a time of crisis for all our countries, and as we have seen, women have been impacted far harder than men.
Clearly, this crisis has magnified ingrained inequalities, discriminations, and violence against women, which prevent women and girls from achieving freedom and equality, and from unlocking their full potential in our societies.
Our urgent responsibility is to remove these unacceptable inequalities and to enable the empowerment of all women and girls so they can be free agents of change.
Full gender equality will be beneficial not only to women, but to our societies as a whole and to our democracies that will be strengthened as a result. This is the crucial challenge ahead of us.
Undoubtedly, gender equality and women and girls’ empowerment can and must play a crucial role in creating solutions to the environmental crisis, and in mitigating the impact that climate change has had and will continue to have on ecosystems.
The entire international community is facing these challenges. We, as state governments, must therefore be committed to protecting the environment and to promoting sound policies and strategies designed to include the most vulnerable members of the population, ultimately safeguarding present and future generations.
The transformative power of women and girls must serve as a catalyst for all national strategies, with a shared commitment to a transformative global agenda for women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Our commitment to the inclusion of women and girls must focus on a range of complementary actions, based on the principle of ‘gender-responsive’ governance.
The key components required are: a robust and co-ordinated institutional system, well-defined and deliverable strategic objectives, and finally the introduction of gender issues across the board.
Trust that the perception of women’s roles in society can change is not enough. To ensure that women become real agents of change, they must be able to participate concretely, effectively and efficiently in all decision-making processes to contribute to national policies on climate and environmental risk prevention and management.
Together, we must define the priorities and allocate the financial resources necessary to ensure the implementation of truly ‘gender-transformative’ measures.
The time has come to leave behind the stereotypes and cultural prejudices that depict women only as vulnerable subjects, beneficiaries of assistance. It is time to recognize women as key players, as political and social decision-makers who initiate and drive societal change in the 21st century.
It is time to act. It is our time to act. Together we can dream and build a better future for all. We can, we must, and we will.
Thank you.
