A/HRC/33/68
femicide. The issue of cyberbullying, which had a disproportionate impact on women and
girls, was also highlighted as a new area where legislation was being enacted.
65.
Several delegates also emphasized the importance, while implementing the 2030
Agenda, of paying special attention to marginalized groups of women, including indigenous
women, refugee women, women with disabilities, and lesbian, bisexual and transgender
women.
66.
Strengthening the collection of gender-responsive disaggregated data was also
considered a priority. Some delegates referred to the need for disaggregated data by gender
and other relevant factors to develop policies that reflect national realities, while tracking
the commitment to leave no person behind in the realization of the Sustainable
Development Goals. The gender-responsive budgeting, capacity-building or strengthening
of statistical offices was also considered crucial, as was the need for human rights-sensitive
indicators.
67.
A number of delegates recognized the need to strengthen normative legal and policy
frameworks on gender equality. In this regard, the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action were essential instruments of reference. Certain regional instruments also reflected a
collective commitment to promoting the rights of women and addressing violence against
them. Several delegates highlighted the adoption in their countries of gender equality laws
and frameworks as important steps for working towards the elimination of discrimination
against women. Such efforts included strategies focusing on women’s economic
empowerment, enhancing women’s participation at all levels and tackling the negative
impact of gender stereotypes. Delegates also reported on efforts to implement
recommendations made by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women with regard to the adoption of new laws and policies.
68.
A considerable number of delegates referred to the important role of human rights
mechanisms, such as the treaty bodies, the special procedures and the universal periodic
review, and the work of OHCHR in supporting States to implement the 2030 Agenda in
accordance with human rights obligations.
D.
Concluding remarks
69.
The panel discussions offered an opportunity to recall the successes of the
Millennium Development Goals, even though significant challenges remained to be
addressed by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Panel members reaffirmed
that, while progress towards women’s rights should be celebrated, more efforts were
needed to close gender gaps, reduce inequality, eliminate discrimination and combat
violence against women and girls.
70.
The moderator emphasized many serious human rights issues that disproportionately
affected women and girls, relating to poverty, conflict, access to employment, unpaid work,
lack of access to finance, sexual and reproductive health and rights, political participation,
violence and abuse. Cross-border issues, including finance, trade, intellectual property,
mobility and migration, also needed to be taken into account. Cooperation at the
multinational and regional levels to deal with these issues was therefore crucial.
71.
In their concluding remarks, the panellists emphasized the importance of improved
data collection. Greater investment in statistical offices was critical to measuring data, as
was strengthened capacity to disaggregate data. They also agreed that technical and
financial assistance for countries facing barriers to collecting data and analysing gender
dimensions should be considered a priority. Better information would be critical to
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