Ekaterina Zaharieva to the UN: The COVID-19 Pandemic Threatens Women’s Rights
03 October 2020 News
The COVID-19 pandemic threatens the rights of women, the latter being among the most heavily affected by the crisis. This was the message of warning in the video address of Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs to the New York Summit for the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action. The event was in the framework of the 75th session of the General Assembly of the UN held remotely this year.
„During the pandemic, women are seriously affected, especially the ones at the front line in critical sectors such as healthcare and social sector,“ Ekaterina Zaharieva said. She highlighted the empowerment of women as key for the prosperity and growth of every country.
„In the context of the emergency situation due to COVID-19, the Government of Bulgarian stepped up the cooperation with non-governmental organisations with proven experience in working with victims of violence. Psychological, legal and social support was provided to women who suffered from domestic violence or any other gender-based violence,“ the Foreign Minister said.
The Minister also underlined the efforts of Bulgarian authorities to empower women, in terms of the first adopted National Plan for Women, Peace and Security for 2020-2025 and the draft National Strategy for Promoting the Equality between Women and Men 2021-2030.
„Involvement of women in politics and in decision-making is of great significance. We are especially proud that Bulgaria has become a champion in women’s rights affecting work, according to a new study of the World Bank. Data shows that in Bulgaria, nearly half of the executive positions are held by women, and more than half of Bulgarian scientists and engineers are female,“ Zaharieva noted.
In her video address, Minister Zaharieva called for an inventory to be taken globally of the state of affairs concerning gender equality and empowerment of women, for drawing lessons, to map the way for the next 10 years announced as the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals.
The overall theme of the UN event for the 25th Anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action was: „Accelerating the realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.“ This was the first review of the progress in the field of rights of women and girls in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action were unanimously adopted by 189 countries back in 1995 outlining the global policies in key spheres such as women’s rights, fighting poverty and violence against women.