Accelerating efforts towards the achievement of SDG 5.5 in the Americas

CSW65
March 25, 2021

Acelerando los esfuerzos hacia el logro del ODS 5.5 en las Américas

LEADERS FROM THE AMERICAS ADVOCATE FOR A GREATER WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN ALL OF THE AREAS OF DECISION-MAKING AS A REQUIREMENT FOR AN INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE RECOVERY

“Accelerating efforts towards the achievement of SDG 5.5 in the Americas” was the title of the side event that took place on March 25th in the framework of the 65th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), hosted by the Government of Canada, together with members of the Inter-American Task Force on Women's Leadership and the Summits of the Americas Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS).

The event brought together important leaders from the Americas, who were unanimous on the need to ensure women’s participation in decision-making as a requirement of democracy, sustainable development and equal and inclusive recovery after the COVID-19 crisis.

“We must do everything we can to enable and accelerate the equal, full and meaningful participation of women, in all their diversity, at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life”, said the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada during his welcome remarks.

The Vice President of Costa Rica, H.E. Epsy Campbell Barr, highlighted: “The pending equation for the achievement, not only of SDG 5, but of the entire 2030 Agenda, is the equal participation of women in all spaces of public and private life in our societies”.

The dialogue also featured a panel of key women leaders who spoke from the perspective of rights, political participation and representation, diversity, economic empowerment and the gender perspective in labour union participation. Speeches were made by Ms. Valerie Woods, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Belize; Mrs. Martha Lucía Mícher Camarena, Senator of Mexico; Ms. Sonia Gutiérrez Raguay, Parliamentarian of Guatemala; Dr. Izkia Siches Pastén, President of the Medical Chilean Association, and Mrs. Beatriz Fernández, CEO of Crepes & Waffles.

After the panel, the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM/OAS), Ms. Alejandra Mora Mora, briefly shared some of the initiatives carried out by the Inter-American Task Force on Women’s Leadership, and highlighted that “If women do not have a seat at the table, our agenda is not there. The voice of women is key in each and every area of decision-making.”

In addition, the event launched the Inter-American Award for Good Practices on Women’s Leadership, an inter-institutional initiative to identify, recognize, and disseminate promising initiatives in the Americas aimed at supporting and strengthening women's leadership in all areas.

The event was closed by Ms. Katrina Fotovat, Acting Senior Official to the Secretary of State's Office of Global Women's Issues of the USA, who stressed that “Now, more than ever, women’s participation is essential across the Americas. Promoting women’s meaningful inclusion improves economic and security outcomes, and as countries map their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, women must have seats at the table.”

Watch the event again HERE.

Learn more about the Inter-American Award for Good Practices on Women’s Leadership HERE.