A/HRC/30/70 38. The Deputy High Commissioner called on everyone to take advantage of the unique opportunities of the coming months—particularly relating to negotiations around the sustainable development goals—to assess the progress made 20 years since Beijing and come up with concrete transformative actions that could dismantle harmful gender stereotypes, drive greater gender equality and enhance women’s ability to claim their rights and participate in power and decision-making. B. Overview of the panellists’ presentations 39. Ms. Aouij, the panel moderator, referred to the first thematic report of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women in law and in practice presented in 2013 concerning women’s participation in public and political life. The report gave an account of the progress that had been made and the main challenges that needed to be tackled so that women could participate fully in public and political life on an equal basis with men and with respect for democracy and human rights. To ensure this, it was essential to tackle the structural and social underpinning of gender-based discrimination. 40. She said that there was still a long way to go and that no country would establish gender equality in public and private life so long as discrimination persisted between women and men. More efforts were needed for incorporating women in decision-making bodies in corporate structures, international bodies and elsewhere. Recalling the Working Group’s 2014 thematic report on discrimination against women in economic and social life, Ms. Aouij also stressed the importance of having women represented in cooperatives and trade unions, and of having them participate in economic and social life generally. She observed that a large number of States had put in place positive initiatives, such as special temporary measures, which had improved women’s participation in public and political life. 41. Ms. González emphasized that economic empowerment was key to ensuring women’s human rights in practice. It turned women into independent and confident stakeholders in the economy and society, and trade could play an important role in empowering women economically. The International Trade Centre helped build the capacity of women to produce and offer services that the market wanted and helped connect those services to regional and international markets. She said that failing to create economic opportunities for more than half the population was not a smart economic decision and, citing a study from McKinsey and Company, pointed out that corporations that had greater gender diversity at the top performed better. 42. She said that women’s participation in the paid economy also benefited their families and societies as a whole. Employed women could have a significant effect on poverty reduction, universal primary education and reduced child mortality. As women increased not only their own but also their children’s economic prospects, the impact of economic empowerment was transgenerational. 43. To pave the way towards gender equality, she emphasized that, besides legal structures that ensured gender parity in law and equal access to resources, women’s rights should also be approached as human rights across the entire empowerment chain. This included providing trade and business-related training for girls and women, encouraging gender parity at work, analysing and addressing trade barriers that affected women disproportionally, encouraging public procurement practices that included companies owned by women, and promoting the inclusion of more women suppliers in and across the entire value chains. 44. Ms. Akhter stated that progress had been made in Bangladesh since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action 20 years previously. That was exemplified by the representation of women in senior public positions, including a Head of State, a 9