A/HRC/33/68 particularly noted with concern that, at the recent elections by States Members of the United Nations of expert members to the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, not one woman had been elected to the Committee. 43. The Deputy High Commissioner stressed the importance of women’s participation and of giving voice to those excluded, including young people, indigenous persons, minorities or women with disabilities. She also called upon organizations to reflect on their own structures and to change the demography of women’s leadership. Stressing the importance of addressing unconscious bias, she emphasized the need to dismantle harmful gender stereotypes. She also highlighted the need to combat harmful practices, sometimes justified by references to cultures and traditions, and pointed out that no culture or tradition could be invoked to justify the cruelty experienced by women, and especially by girls. As an example of the progress made on this issue, she highlighted that, across sub-Saharan Africa, thousands of communities had agreed to end female genital mutilation in recognition that such a practice was not essential for their cultural integrity. 44. The Deputy High Commissioner pointed out that the Human Rights Council, and indeed all United Nations bodies, had a unique role to play in taking the 2030 Agenda forward. Partnerships between Member States and country offices of the United Nations were a key factor in delivering on the promises of the Agenda. She quoted the title of a speech by Martin Luther King – “I have a dream” – as a poetic lens to summarize the ambition of the 17 Goals, 169 targets and 230 indicators comprising the Sustainable Development Goals. She called upon everyone to take advantage of the unique opportunities offered by the Agenda. B. Overview of presentations 45. As Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the panel moderator, Paul Ladd, referred to relevant gender and development research that the Institute had undertaken on gender and development, focusing on issues such as unpaid work and violence against women. 46. The moderator congratulated States on their commitment to adopting the ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which not only built on the legacy of the Millennium Development Goals but also tackled more diverse and interconnected issues; it was a universal agenda, with a unanimous commitment to leave no one behind. 47. Fulfilling the rights of women and girls was a critical pillar of the 2030 Agenda, since they faced considerable human rights violations. Supporting the empowerment of women and girls, and investing in them, politically and financially, was an investment for the achievement of all the Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Ladd added that one challenge was to ensure that States’ policies on trade and intellectual property respect their commitments under the 2030 Agenda. 48. Australia’s Ambassador for Women and Girls, Natasha Stott Despoja, pointed out that, in the 2030 Agenda, gender equality was affirmed as a fundamental human right and a driver of progress across all development goals. Gender equality was the sole focus of Goal 5, and integrated into the others. The Sustainable Development Goals had therefore the potential to make real advances, including in relation to equal rights in economic resources, such as land and property; equal leadership opportunities, with regard to peace processes and State-building; and the elimination of gender-based violence, child marriage and female genital mutilation. Global trends, including economic and social shifts and globalization, created not only new opportunities but also risks for women, who were underrepresented in the formal labour market and had less access to economic resources. Ms. Stott Despoja also pointed to the disproportionate impact of crises, conflict and climate 9