Patrick Breen
U.S. Adviser for the Third Committee
New York, New York
October 3, 2023
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President.
We thank the Working Group for its continued efforts to report widespread discrimination against women and girls in all their diversity. The Biden-Harris Administration believes that advancing gender equity and equality is fundamental to every individual’s safety, health, financial security, and ability to fully exercise their human rights.
Collectively, we are facing growing, sustained, and coordinated attacks on the rights and freedoms of women and girls; members of the LGBTQI+ community; racial, ethnic, and religious minorities; migrants; and, ultimately, all of us who believe in an open, pluralistic, and inclusive society.
Evidence gathering is critical to combatting anti-rights and anti-gender movements around the world. We hope your next report on “taking stock” of the last six years will address the negative effects of the anti-rights and anti-gender movements on the advancement of gender equity and equality. We encourage you to further explore the negative effects of these movements on the empowerment of women and girls as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 5.
We encourage the Working Group to continue its efforts. Creating opportunity for all individuals fosters peace, security, and prosperity.
Our question is, how will the Working Group address anti-rights movements and global backsliding on gender equality?
Thank you.
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