44th Session of the Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue with Working Group on Discrimination against Women Statement by Permanent Mission of Japan (7 July 2020)
2020/7/21
Interactive Dialogue with Working Group on Discrimination against Women
Statement by Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva
Thank you, Madam President.
The world is facing massive challenges with the COVID-19 crisis. However, this should not be an excuse to slow down women’s economic empowerment. The international community must act together to turn these challenges into opportunities to further promote women’s empowerment.
Last year, as the Chair of the G20 Summit, Japan set three priorities for women’s empowerment. These are (1) supporting girls’ education including STEM education, (2) boosting women’s participation in the labor market, and (3) engaging with female business leaders. We believe these key areas have gained even more importance in the context of the current global crisis.
During its G20 presidency, Japan launched a private sector alliance for promoting women’s empowerment and economic participation. This is an independent network of business leaders and entrepreneurs from G20 countries that shares good practices among its members and provides policy recommendations for governments. We are in full support of this initiative, which is now moving forward under the leadership of Saudi Arabia, the G20 chair for this year. In close cooperation with the private sector, Japan will continue to promote women’s economic empowerment.
I thank you, Madam President.