‘Let Us Help Shape a World Where Women, Girls Can Pursue Their Dreams, Live in Peace, Dignity’, Deputy Secretary-General Tells World Forum

Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks at the 2024 World Women’s Forum, in Ulaanbaatar today:

I would like first to pay great tribute to the women of Mongolia, these women who have birth Chinggis Khaan.  We celebrate your vision, we celebrate your leadership, and your career, and we congratulate you as you celebrate 100 years of the Mongolian Women’s Federation. 

I would like to extend my heartfelt appreciation and commend the initiative of the Government of Mongolia and its partners to convene the World Women’s Forum 2024. 

I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the path of Mongolian women than to gather with others from around the world and reflect on the journey, the challenges and the successes of all women.

Building an equal world for women and girls is not just an ideal.  It is our collective responsibility, and it is crucial to address the most pressing issues of our time and to accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of our 2030 deadline. 

We know that opportunities for women of all ages to thrive in education and employment are key to economic growth and prosperity.

We know that women’s leadership and political participation lead to better services for families and for communities.

We know that women’s involvement in climate action is needed for adaptation investments that go into agriculture, early warning systems and community infrastructure to be effective.

We also know that time is not on our side, and we need all hands on deck to succeed.

We must engage men in the quest for more just and equal societies.  We need to nurture positive masculinities across the Sustainable Development Goals, and we need societies that do not leave our boys and our men behind.

I stand here at a crucial moment for accelerating action towards the achievement of 2030 Agenda; it is now less than six years away.  Meanwhile, next year ushers in the Beijing+30 for its review.

Despite our awareness of the urgency and the progress we’ve made, we find ourselves far from the finishing line.

Many of you here today have dedicated your lives to advancing the cause of women’s rights.  However, at this pace, that mission will be passed down to generations yet to come.  We can all agree that women and girls cannot continue to wait. 

Let me share five concrete areas of action in the lives of women and girls that will bring us closer to equality:

First, the theme of this year’s conference reminds us of the need to support women’s leadership for environmental and climate action and stewardship. 

The “triple planetary crisis” of climate change, of biodiversity loss, and pollution presents one of the gravest threats to humanity.

These crises are never “gender neutral”. Existing gender inequalities are amplified, posing unique threats to women’s livelihoods, rights, health and safety.

Women’s lives and livelihoods are intricately connected to natural resources. 

In a worst-case climate scenario, by 2050, more than 158 million women and girls could be pushed into poverty due to the climate crisis.

Women in the Asia-Pacific could be facing an increase in poverty that is nearly double the global rate. 

Predictions suggest Asia and the Pacific will fare worse on extreme poverty levels and food insecurity due to climate change. 

These issues are not siloed.

Women play a critically important role in food security.

We must empower women in agriculture and food systems to enable food systems transformation, which will be central to climate resilience and sustainable production.

We need to support women environmental rights defenders. 

We need to shine a light on young emerging women leaders and do more to support their efforts to tackle the triple planetary crisis.

We must support women leaders and entrepreneurs. 

We have seen what women are capable of achieving and we don’t have very far to go as we witness this in Mongolia. 

Take the example of Louise Mabulo, from the Philippines.  She has worked to plant over 100,000 trees and restore over 160 hectares of collective land, highlighting nature-based solutions. 

And many of you here today.

As we approach the convening of three environmental Conventions of the Parties — the Convention on Biological Diversity in Colombia, the Framework Convention on Climate Change in Azerbaijan and the Convention to Combat Desertification in Saudi Arabia — let’s make sure women’s voices are present and are central in the negotiations. 

Increasing global commitments to gender equality and women’s empowerment across all areas of environmental action must also be a common thread throughout our multilateral cooperation.

Second, we must create a more equitable and supportive environment for women’s economic participation.

We must embrace the opportunities coming from the transitions to renewable energy and green and digital economies to create new sustainable jobs with dignity.

This means encouraging policies that promote full and productive employment and decent work for women while eliminating gender-based occupational segregation and wage gaps. 

We must support the skilling and reskilling of women regardless of age to ensure they benefit from jobs in new and promising areas.

In this regard, the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries in Botswana will be a key place to discuss policies for landlocked countries such as Mongolia in areas such as resilient infrastructure, connectivity and transport. 

It means preventing and eliminating all forms of discrimination, violence and sexual harassment against women in the workplace.

It also means promoting policies that help to reconcile work and family as part of a broader shift to more caring societies.

Societies where women and men count on quality public services and livable cities.

Third, it is imperative to go beyond “traditional education” to support women and girls.  Initiatives that expand science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and improve digital access so that students can learn from their homes are great ways we can increase educational and market opportunities for all women and girls. 

Lastly, we must make way for women and girls to be champions in all sports, arts, and cultural activities.  These are important elements of increasing one’s gross domestic product (GDP) and diversifying one’s economy. 

Coming out of the Paris Olympics, the first to ensure gender parity, we have been able to celebrate the talent of women in sports.  Women athletes, like Mongolia’s very own Baasankhuu Bavuudorj, Olympic silver medallist in judo.  

We must work towards preventing gender-based harassment in all fields, shifting societal norms and ensuring that women have equal support to men in making a living from sports.

Fourth, none of the concrete steps I have mentioned will be realized fully if we do not create a world in which all women and girls are free from gender-based violence.  The rights of women and girls must be protected.  They are, after all, your mothers and your partners, your daughters, your grandmothers.  And we must shape a world where they can achieve their agency and live free from fear. 

As we advance towards the Summit of the Future next month and the Beijing+30 review, the urgency to embed the principles of gender equality and women’s empowerment in every aspect of the SDGs cannot be overstated. 

We need policies that prioritize women’s rights, especially young, Indigenous and rural women, and fully include their knowledge and expertise. 

Finally, we also need the financing to match that policy ambition and commitments.  Accelerating financing for gender equality, including increased investment in robust disaggregated data for women, will be a key enabler for responsive, evidence-based policies and actions that ensure that we actually leave no one behind. 

We, as women leaders and advocates, need to raise our voices and continue to put gender equality and women’s empowerment at the centre of all issues.

This World Women’s Forum builds momentum and charts a path towards the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where we will take stock of the progress made in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

But let us not forget the many women and girls that have been left behind in the conflicts that we have, in the oppression that we see in Afghanistan, in Gaza, in Sudan.  Let’s keep the momentum to also shine a light on their burdens, on their challenges and the atrocities they face.

Let’s help shape a world where women and girls can pursue their dreams without fear, contribute to society without barriers, and live in peace and dignity.

As the daughter of a nomad and I own cattle, so I know what it is to have a deep understanding of the value of livestock in the economy and, in my account, in the empowerment of my family, especially for women and girls.

However, I also have a background from which my mother comes, and that is about the Welsh mountain goat in the United Kingdom.  And what does that teach you?  Resilience.  The resilience of that Welsh mountain goat.

With the economy and resilience at the centre of women’s empowerment, I believe that we can begin to build a just, equitable, and sustainable future for every woman and every girl, making our societies so much better for it. 

Together, in solidarity, I believe we can make this vision a reality.

I thank you very much for the invitation to this forum, and I wish us all a fruitful Forum.