News item | 10-03-2024 | 10:00
Working together on the position of women and girls, so that we protect and improve acquired rights worldwide. The Netherlands is committed to this at the United Nations (UN). Minister Dijkgraaf (Emancipation) will therefore join the UN in New York from 10 to 12 March for the annual conference on the rights and position of women and girls. The so-called Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68). The Prime Minister of Aruba, the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten and the Deputy Prime Minister of Curaçao also join on behalf of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The UN summit is an important moment to make progress to improve the position of women and girls. It is the only platform where almost all countries in the world come together to make agreements with each other, and to evaluate the agreements made, for the position and rights of women and girls. And that is still desperately needed. Worldwide, 129 million girls do not yet go to school, 10% of women live in extreme poverty and one in three women has been a victim of physical and/or sexual (partner) violence.
Responsibility men
The theme of this year’s UN summit is women and girls in poverty and financial independence. The Netherlands believes it is important that girls and women around the world have good access to education. This makes women and girls more likely to become financially independent. There is also still much to be gained in the Netherlands when it comes to equal opportunities and equal treatment between women and men. Consider, for example, making the distribution of top positions in companies more equal, closing the wage gap or distributing unpaid care tasks in families more fairly. Dijkgraaf also sees a specific responsibility for men and boys in this.
Dijkgraaf: “No one can emancipate themselves. That is a responsibility for our society as a whole. Ultimately, the quality of a society is measured by whether we offer space to everyone. I believe that men and boys have an extra responsibility in creating that space for women and the LGBTQ+ community. I therefore call on men at this UN summit to actively contribute to the global social task for gender equality.”
Program
Minister Dijkgraaf will give a speech at the UN summit, speak with NGOs and other (EU) ministers and participate in various panels. This year, the Dutch Kingdom is also organizing its own side event together with NGOs. The central focus is on how we can jointly ensure that women and girls in all their diversity can fully participate in society, specifically in education, on the labor market and in decision-making processes. The focus is on girls and women who face discrimination because of their sexual orientation or disability. Dijkgraaf also meets with the members of the LGBTI Core Group. This is an informal group of UN member states founded in 2008 and led by the Netherlands and Argentina. The group aims to work within the UN on respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for the LGBTQ+ community, with a focus on protection against violence and discrimination.
Commemoration year of the history of slavery
In addition to the UN summit, Dijkgraaf will also visit the African Burial Ground National Monument. Dijkgraaf is the coordinating minister for the Commemoration Year of the Past of Slavery. In that context, he previously visited Suriname, South Africa and the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. The African Burial Ground is a memorial site and national monument where free and enslaved African people are buried. This site demonstrates the importance of preserving historic sites and ensuring that the stories of marginalized communities are recognized and remembered. So that we can work on a shared future based on a shared history. The site therefore serves as an educational resource, where visitors can learn about slavery, the African diaspora and the challenges and resilience of African Americans.