Zimbabwe has reaffirmed its commitment to promote and protect the human rights and empowerment of women and girls at the first-ever Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Conference on Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women, held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The conference, co-organized by Azerbaijan, Uganda and Uzbekistan, brought together representatives from 120 NAM member states, as well as observers, international organizations and civil society groups, to reflect on the achievements and challenges in advancing the rights and empowerment of women globally.
The conference also aimed to strengthen the cooperation and solidarity among NAM member states in addressing the common issues and priorities related to gender equality and women’s empowerment, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Zimbabwe’s delegation was led by Monica Mutsvangwa, the Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development. In her statement, she highlighted Zimbabwe’s efforts and progress in ensuring the representation and participation of women in all spheres of society, as well as in combating all forms of violence against women and girls.
She also emphasized the need for an inclusive and holistic approach to promote the advancement and empowerment of women and girls and called for the removal of unilateral coercive measures that negatively affect the well-being and human rights of women and girls.
She welcomed the progress made towards the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and reaffirmed Zimbabwe’s support for the outcome documents of the 23rd Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly on gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century.
She also expressed appreciation and gratitude to the people and government of Azerbaijan for hosting the conference and applauded the proposal to establish the NAM Women Platform to enhance the exchange of ideas, visions and perspectives on current challenges and opportunities in the field of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The conference adopted the Baku Declaration on Advancing the Rights and Empowerment of Women, which reaffirmed the NAM’s commitment to the promotion and protection of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of women and girls, and outlined the measures and actions to be taken by the NAM member states, individually and collectively, to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment in all aspects of life.
The conference also agreed to establish a NAM Women Network, as a platform for dialogue, cooperation and coordination among NAM member states and other stakeholders on issues related to gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The conference was held as part of the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the NAM, which is the largest grouping of countries outside the United Nations, representing nearly two-thirds of the world’s population.
The NAM was founded in 1961, with the aim of promoting the interests and aspirations of developing countries and upholding the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-interference, non-alignment and peaceful coexistence.
The conference also coincided with the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which is considered the most comprehensive and visionary agenda for the empowerment of women and girls.
The conference was a timely opportunity for the NAM member states to reaffirm their commitment to the full and effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Source: The Herald
