Statement to be delivered at adoption of the draft Chair's text:

"Follow up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty third special session of the General Assembly"


Mr Chairperson,

I am speaking on behalf of the European Union.

Mr Chairperson,

The European Union welcomes the adoption of this Chair's text and the strong and positive signal it sends of the international community's continuing support for the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. The European Union considers these documents fundamental to our collective responsibility of promoting the rights of women and achieving gender equality.

The European Union therefore looks forward to the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in 2005. This session will allow all of us to review the progress we have made in implementing these documents, and our success in achieving the commitments we all agreed in 1995 and 2000. At the same time, the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women will also provide a vital and unique opportunity for us all also to look forward and to re-commit ourselves to working to achieve their full implementation.

The European Union also believes that implementing these documents is essential to the full achievement of the Millennium Declaration and all the Millennium Development Goals. A serious strategy for achieving the MDGs as a whole must address women’s empowerment as a central concern. We urge all UN Member States to ensure that gender equality is fully reflected in the review of the Millennium Declaration later in 2005.

The European Union considers it essential that we use the opportunity provided by the 49th session of the Commission on the Status of Women for a full, unequivocal and universal reaffirmation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the outcome document of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly. We believe that to do otherwise sends a damaging signal to those whose rights we have undertaken to promote. We look forward to working with colleagues to achieve this goal.