A/HRC/44/36 subnational and local actors in combating violence and harassment; how employers could break the cycle of violence by supporting the rehabilitation of perpetrators; how to eliminate impunity for perpetrators and ensure access to justice for survivors; and strategies and measures applicable to the least developed countries and small island developing countries. D. Responses of panellists and concluding remarks 24. In her response to the discussion from the floor, the Prime Minister of Iceland underscored three key messages. First, the persisting reality that only 50 per cent of women globally were participating in the formal workforce was unacceptable. One of the key elements for such inequality was gender-based violence against and harassment of women. That was a structural problem requiring structural solutions. Secondly, the responsibility to find structural solutions lay with Governments, employers and trade unions, not with individual women. Thirdly, realizing gender equality in the workplace was not only the right thing to do but also an economically sound strategy. For example, the economic strength of Iceland was based on the equal participation of men and women in economic activities. The Prime Minister emphasized that realizing gender equality in economic participation led to a better society, not only for women but also for men. In conclusion, noting that 2020 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action, she urged everyone to step up actions to advance gender equality and not leave it for another 25 years to be realized. 25. The moderator summarized the five broad themes raised in the interventions from the floor, namely: (a) what the good practices to eliminate gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work were; (b) what role technical assistance and cooperation, awareness-raising and capacity-building could play in such efforts; (c) how men could be engaged in the initiatives to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work; (d) what the role of employers was in the prevention of violence and harassment in the world of work, including in the informal sector and the private sphere; and (e) what effective accountability measures were. 26. Ms. Vega welcomed the expressions of support for ILO Convention No. 190 and Recommendation No. 206. She encouraged all actors to read thoroughly the Convention and the Recommendation, which provided guidance on how to eliminate violence and harassment in the world of work. For example, article 9 of the Convention gave detailed guidance on the role employers could play in such efforts. She emphasized that the ILO was committed to facilitating the identification of good practices, supporting developing strategies and implementing instruments through social dialogue. In conclusion, she called on States to ratify the newly adopted Convention. 27. Ms. Šimonović emphasized the importance of the mandates of the independent global and regional human rights mechanisms mandated to work on gender-based violence against women and the need to strengthen their function. She pointed out, for example, that during the elaboration of ILO Convention No. 190, the platform of independent United Nations and regional expert mechanisms on violence against women and on women’s rights6 had issued a joint statement, in which they urged the negotiating States to respect and safeguard existing international legal standards protecting women’s rights, including those recognizing sexual harassment as a human rights violation, and to align the new ILO Convention with such standards.7 In conclusion, she called upon all States to ratify ILO Convention No. 190, implement it in conjunction with other existing international and 6 7 6 The platform is composed of seven mandates: the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women; the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice; the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence of the Council of Europe; the Rapporteur on the Rights of Women of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; the Special Rapporteur on Women’s Rights in Africa; and the Committee of Experts of the Follow-up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Women/SR/StatementILO_31May2019.pdf.