Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Benedetto Della Vedova is in New York to speak at the 59th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
Della Vedova will take part in the Commission’s General Debate dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the historic conference on women held in Beijing in 1995 and a review of the Declaration and the Action Platform on gender equality that were its result.
The under-secretary will also speak at a side event on early and forced marriages, co-sponsored by, among others, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UNICEF, and in a round table discussion at ministerial level entitled “Making the economy work for women and girls”.
Under-Secretary Della Vedova’s mission has the aim of confirming Italy’s commitment on gender issues, reasserting the priority our country has traditionally placed on the struggle to end violence against women and girls and the importance of women as builders of peace and development.
“Italy has always been in the forefront in the fight against harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and early and forced marriages. Both these practices are a violation of fundamental human rights and a hindrance to development, and cannot be justified for reasons of culture or tradition”, Della Vedova observed, who pointed out “Italy’s active role in international UN campaigns aimed at the elimination of these dangerous practices”. “Italy”, he continued, “has contributed in an inclusive and transparent manner to negotiations on the main UN General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions”.
Finally, the under-secretary recalled the importance of the Women for EXPO initiative, underscoring that EXPO Milano would offer an excellent opportunity to reflect on the crucial role of women in the production of food, in nutrition, in responsible consumerism and in the education of future generations. “It is time that is was understood that not only must the economy fully integrate and give value to women, but that a higher rate of participation by women in the economy will have a positive impact on growth”.
