Intervention for the Third Committee by WMG

Intervention for the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural Issues) by the Women’s Major Group. Intervention delivered on 21 February, 2023 by WMG Global Organizing Partner, Soroptimist International’s Betty Levy.

Bette Levy, Soroptimist International & the Women’s Major Group. I want to thank the chair for keeping his word to meet again with NGOs. I thank Bobbi Nassar & Maithili Pai for their detail comments and recommendations and the many member states who attended today and supported the rights of NGOs to participate in the third committee negotiations.

When we met in October, I asked that the role of civil society be reimagined and that the Chair secure a path for NGO full & meaningful participation in the third committee.

In your closing remarks, you expressed confidence that better results were reached with face-to-face meetings.  “We must keep bridges and doors open; each of you can make a difference.” I challenge where was the space for NGOs to give input.

As Feminists, we congratulate the UK and the 70 countries for their cross-regional joint statement on SRHR and gender equality and their commitment to advance gender equality and support human rights for women and girls in all their diversity.

While we are glad that draft resolution on elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls was adopted, we are alarmed by the push back and all the regressive amendments tabled and the need for a recorded vote.

We appreciate France’s strong statement that

“It is unacceptable for women and girls to experience any form of violence under the pretense of intimacy and marriage”.

And we share the disappointment expressed by the US that there was no agreed language, for including access to health services and sexual reproductive health for women & girls with disabilities.

We noted that the Committee approved draft resolutions on early, forced and child marriage and the elimination of female genital mutilation.

Thank you for this opportunity to share our reflections on the work of the third committee.