Top of the agenda this year is a review of the progress made and challenges encountered 20 years after the Declaration and Platform for Action was agreed at the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing.

“The Beijing Platform has been crucial in taking us a step further in the fight for gender equality, but there is still much left to do,” said the two MPs.

“This important work must not stop, so we’ve all just got to roll up our sleeves.”

Important forum

Bekkevold and Haukeland Liadal underline the importance of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York.

“In addition to participating in the official programme and the plenary debates, we have meetings with extremely capable and committed representatives from Norwegian and international organizations that work in the field of gender equality.”

The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is being arranged at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York from 9th to 20th March.

Platform for Action

The Declaration and Platform for Action was formulated in 1995 during the Fourth UN World Conference on Women in Beijing. The Beijing Declaration states categorically that women’s rights are human rights, and that gender equality is an absolute necessity for development and peace. Signed by 189 states, it obligates the signatories to work on equality as a principle of integration. This means that gender equality must be incorporated into all policies and planning. The right of girls and women to education, health and a violence-free existence are some of the most important aspects of this.

“We will take home important knowledge and experience from the CSW. We are convinced we will be able to use this in the Storting, both within the committee and during our work in the international delegations we are members of,” the Members said in conclusion.

Hege Haukeland Liadal is an MP for the Labour Party. She serves on the Standing Committee on Family and Cultural Affairs and is a member of the Storting’s delegations to the IPU and the Nordic Council.

Geir Jørgen Bekkevold represents the Christian Democratic Party and is First Vice Chair of the Family and Cultural Affairs Committee. He is also the head of the Storting’s Delegation to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly.