Mexico promotes women's leadership at UN to achieve substantive equality

Mexico promotes women's leadership at UN to achieve substantive equality

• In the Feminist Foreign Policy Group, Mexico reaffirmed its commitment to substantive equality and women's empowerment. Mexico emphasized multilateralism's role in advancing public policies and best practices that strengthen agendas supporting women in all their diversity

During the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 79), Feminist Foreign Policy Plus Group (FFP+) member countries, including Mexico, renewed their commitment to gender equality and advancing women's leadership at all decision-making levels. This commitment was made at the high-level event "Galvanizing the Pact for the Future for a Feminist Implementation of the 2030 Agenda."

The meeting examined the progress and challenges in carrying out feminist or gender-perspective foreign policies. These policies aim to promote women's leadership and uphold the human rights of women in all their diversity, two crucial elements for sustainable development.

Speaking on behalf of Foreign Secretary Alicia Bárcena, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs María Teresa Mercado affirmed Mexico's commitment to substantive equality. She noted that Mexico was the first Global South nation to adopt a feminist foreign policy, applying a cross-cutting gender perspective and intersectionality. "This approach reflects the Mexican Humanist Model introduced by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, which seeks to build a more just, equal and fraternal society," she emphasized.

The Mexican Government views feminist foreign policy as vital for safeguarding women's rights both domestically and internationally. It's also seen as a key strategy for achieving renewed, inclusive, effective multilateralism, while advancing the sustainable development goals.

Ambassador Mercado shared that Mexico City hosted the 3rd International Summit on Feminist Foreign Policy in July. "Our commitment is to work towards achieving substantive equality and women's empowerment [...] To accomplish this, multilateralism offers a unique opportunity to advance public policies and best practices that strengthen agendas supporting women in all their diversity."

"A gender perspective should be woven into every treaty, agreement and forum. Women's leadership must be promoted at all decision-making levels [...] It's disheartening that 79 years after the UN's founding, a woman has never been elected as Secretary-General and women have presided over the General Assembly only four times," she added.

The Undersecretary continued by saying, "We have adopted resolutions promoting gender equality because it is a fundamental human right and the basis for achieving a peaceful and prosperous world. We must fulfill these commitments, ensuring they are verifiable, measurable and achievable. We need more affirmative actions and political will…We cannot continue to sideline women from decision-making spaces and negotiation processes. Global agreements cannot be built without hearing the voices of half the world's population."

In closing, the Ambassador announced that after 214 years of independence, Mexico has elected its female president, Dr. Claudia Sheinbaum. "As she has said, she isn't arriving alone, we're all arriving, because behind every momentous event, there has always been a woman leading the change," she concluded.

The high-level event included participation from Foreign Ministers Annalena Baerbock (Germany), Hadja Lahbib (Belgium), Penny Wong (Australia), Battsetseg Batmunkh (Mongolia), Mauro Luiz Lecker Vieira (Brazil), Alberto van Klaveren (Chile), José Manuel Albares Bueno (Spain, Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation), and Stéphane Séjourné (France). Also present were UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous, Vice-Chair of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Nicole Ameline, and representatives from civil society organizations.