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Statement by Prof. Arino Yaguchi
Alternate Representative of Japan
On Item 27: Advancement of women
Third Committee
69th Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York
13 October 2014
Madam Chair,
As stated by the Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, in his address to the General Assembly last month, the empowerment of women has become a guiding principle that drives Japanese policy both domestically and overseas. We aim for a society in which women shine. Japan will spare no effort to create a society, not only domestically but also globally, in which each and every individual woman is empowered to reach her full potential.
In this regard, however, the world faces numerous challenges. Human rights violations against women remain prevalent; in regions of conflict, especially, the dignity of women is severely impaired. Fundamental services and amenities such as medical care and education are also far from sufficient.
It is crucial that we hold to our principles and work tirelessly to remove these barriers. Guided by the principles of international partnership and human security, my country's efforts toward the empowerment of women are comprised of three pillars: 1) facilitating women's active participation in society, 2) enhancing Japan's efforts in the area of women's health care as a part of its Strategy on Global Health Diplomacy, and 3) supporting women's participation and the protecting of their rights in the field of Peace and Security. We will continue to vigorously promote the three pillars.
Madam Chair,
Last year, Prime Minister Abe pledged in his address to the General Assembly that Japan would implement assistance in excess of 3 billion dollars over three years aimed chiefly at the advancement of the status of women. Over this past year, upwards of 1.8 billion dollars, more than 60% of the amount pledged, has already been implemented in relevant projects in more than 50 countries and regions worldwide.
In the area of facilitating women's active participation in society, for instance, Japan has contributed 7.4 million dollars to a program to establish middle-school level educational facilities in rural areas of Sindh province in Pakistan. In rural districts in Sindh, only about 7% of girls between the ages of 10 and 12 years attend school. We expect that this program will increase the number of girls attending school 14 fold over the next five years, from 182 last year to around 2600 by 2019.
As part of our Strategy on Global Health Diplomacy and women's empowerment, Japan has been implementing a project to establish schools to train medical staff and a project to revise and renovate medical educational materials in Mozambique. The training of new medical staff in Mozambique is critical in improving the standard of medical health services there, as the proportion of medical employees to the population is very low. Currently, one new school to train medical staff has been constructed in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique, and already many new students are being trained as medical staff with appropriate skills. In this way, the training of female nurses and staff in particular is contributing to women's empowerment both directly and indirectly.
One example of Japan's support for women's participation in the area of Peace and Security is our efforts to expand small scale businesses run by women in order to promote employment among female and other refugees and internally displaced persons affected by the Syrian conflict through a Cash-For-Work project through funding of 3 million USD. Thanks to this project, women, who are some of the most vulnerable and susceptible to conflict, can acquire their own bases for independence, and many other people are benefitting from the services they provide.
Madam Chair,
None of these measures can progress without the cooperation of the United Nations organizations. Last year, Prime Minister Abe explained to the General Assembly how 'Japan respects the activities of UN-Women that is responsible for women's issues within the United Nations' and that 'we intend to become one of its leading contributors and thus a model country in the area.' Japan emphasized its commitment again this year. Japan increased its contributions to UN-Women this year fivefold. In addition, the Japan Office of UN-Women will soon be opened in Tokyo. At the CSW this year, a resolution on "Natural Disaster and Gender" was adopted under Japan's initiative. As we have done so far, Japan will continue to reinforce women's advancement together with UN-Women.
Moreover, Japan is reinforcing its cooperation with the office of Ms. Zainab Bangura, the Secretary-General's Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, and we have been actively involved in projects taking place in countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Somalia. As Prime Minister Abe stated in his address last month, fundamental rights such as education and health must be ensured everywhere throughout the world. Japan will stand at the forefront and lead the international community in eliminating sexual violence during conflict.
Madam Chair,
The 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action continues to serve as the fundamental principles for the empowerment of women and the protection of their rights, and we believe that consistent implementation of the Platform for Action is crucial in the achievement of women's empowerment.
In this regard, Japan calls upon the international community to set gender equality as a central issue within the forthcoming Post-2015 Development Agenda, taking into account the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action.
We also express our full support of the Beijing+20 Global Campaign to re-galvanize our commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. In September, Japan hosted the symposium of the "World Assembly for Women: Tokyo 2014 – Towards a Society Where Women Shine (WAW! Tokyo 2014)" in Tokyo. With focus on the resolution of global issues, some 100 women leaders at the tops of their fields from around the world and from all sectors of society participated in the Symposium and sent out a message to the world of their commitment to bringing the power of women to fruition. We consider this event as only a first step, and we hope that the symposium will come to be held periodically as an international network for women's affairs.
In order to realize and vigorously promote these initiatives, Japan established the Gender Mainstreaming Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this April. The aim of this division is to coordinate and synthesize knowledge and information from separate divisions, and widely reflect the gender perspective whilst keeping in mind concerns of women's empowerment in diplomacy.
Madam Chair,
In conclusion, Japan will continue to work toward women's empowerment in order to establish a peaceful and equal society where all women around the world can shine.
Thank you.
