Ulaanbaatar, June 30, 2023 /MONTSAME/. In a significant milestone for gender equality and women’s participation in decision-making, Mongolia successfully hosted the first-ever Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on June 29-30. As an outcome of the Meeting, the “Ulaanbaatar Declaration” was issued. We present the Declaration in its entirety.

We, the Ministers of France, Germany, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Mongolia and South Africa, the Participants of the Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, gathered in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on June 29–30, 2023,

Reaffirming our commitment to international law, including the UN Charter, its Purposes and Principles as well as international human rights law,

Recalling our commitment to the universality of human rights and in particular the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW),

Reaffirming further the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the outcome documents of their review conferences, and the gender-responsive implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,

Supporting the UN Secretary-General’s “Our Common Agenda” in its ambition to place women and girls at the centre to accelerate action to achieve gender equality, women’s participation and the empowerment of women and girls in all domains,

Acknowledging that women’s and girls’ rights are human rights and a fundamental aspect of democracy, and that gender mainstreaming in policy-making contributes to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as building inclusive societies that guarantee the full, equal and meaningful social, economic and political participation of women and girls,

Recognizing that ensuring the human rights and representation of women, as well as their equitable access to resources, will make our societies just, inclusive and prosperous and will contribute to peacebuilding and sustaining peace,

Stressing the importance of dialogue among UN Member States as well as with all relevant stakeholders to strengthen partnership and cooperation in addressing existing and future challenges,

Having deliberated on common solutions to challenges facing the global community, specifically international peace and security, food security and climate change,

We,

Recall the need for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 of October 31, 2000, on Women, Peace, and Security and all its subsequent resolutions, including Resolution 2467 and express concern about the disproportionate impacts of conflicts on women and girls worldwide, as well as the prevalence of sexual and gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual-violence, offline and online,

Reaffirm the indispensable role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peacebuilding, and stress the importance of their full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in conflict prevention and resolution in all efforts in maintaining peace and security,

Encourage Member States to strengthen access to justice for victim-survivors of sexual violence in conflict and post-conflict situations, including women and girls, who are particularly targeted, including through the prompt investigation, prosecution and punishment of perpetrators of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as reparations for victim-survivors as appropriate, and to continue to fight impunity and ensure accountability through appropriate means,

Commit to fully implement the Women, Peace and Security agenda, including through national action plans and other implementation frameworks, and increasing the number of women serving in the UN Peace Operations, as appropriate,

Redouble the efforts in mainstreaming gender curricula on the training of military, police, corrections and civilian personnel in peacekeeping missions, including in preventing and addressing sexual and gender-based violence,

Calls for the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women and girls in Afghanistan, calls upon the Taliban to swiftly reverse the policies and practices that restrict the enjoyment by women and girls of their human rights and fundamental freedoms including related to their access to education, employment, freedom of movement, and women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in public life, and urges all States and organizations to use their influence, in conformity with the Charter of the United Nations, to promote an urgent reversal of these policies and practices,

Continue to undertake concerted efforts to integrate gender into peacekeeping operations, ensure women’s equal and meaningful participation in peacemaking, peacekeeping and peacebuilding, including through increasing the number of civilian and uniformed women in peacekeeping at all levels and in decision-making positions, and creating safe enabling environments for women peacekeepers,

Strengthen partnership with women’s civil society organizations, women human rights defenders and women peace builders, to facilitate their inclusion in decision-making processes, including by inviting women from the relevant conflict affected contexts to participate in dialogues,

Undertake relevant measures towards increasing the capacity of women as peacebuilders, in particular as mediators, negotiators, and first responders at the local, national and international levels,

Encourage all countries to systematically integrate and mainstream the Women, Peace and Security agenda, provide support for inclusive peace processes, invest in strengthening and consistently engage in political advocacy supporting women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership in peace processes, and in public affairs and political decision-making processes,

We,

Express concern that nearly one in three people in the world do not have access to adequate food, and recall the UN Secretary-General’s call to transform food systems aligning with health, climate and the Sustainable Development Goals,

Underline that conflicts, transnational organized crime, climate extremes, economic volatility, land degradation and biodiversity loss and pollution are some of the key drivers of food insecurity and forced displacement and it is a global responsibility to respond to the risks of food insecurity,

Note with deep concern the adverse impact of the war against Ukraine on inter alia its humanitarian consequences including for women and children and for global food security, and urge all UN Member States to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity and to support the UN Secretary-General in his efforts to address these impacts,

Also express concern that climate change poses a challenge to poverty eradication and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, threatens food security and increases the risks of famine, and that women and girls, especially in rural and remote areas and in developing countries, including LLDCs, LDCs and SIDS are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change, such as desertification, deforestation, sand and dust storms and natural disasters, persistent drought, extreme weather events, sea level rise, coastal erosion and ocean acidification and often limit their capacities to adapt to climate change,

Recognize that the observance of an International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 2026 by the international community would contribute to sustainable land management practices, improved ecosystems, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, maintain and enhance biodiversity,

Encourage countries to prioritize sustainable agricultural practices to ensure food security in the context of climate change, and to continue efforts to increase the full, equal and meaningful participation and leadership of women in decision-making processes on climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction actions,

Commit to promote international cooperation in building and strengthening the resilience and adaptive capacities of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters.

We, the Participants,

Thank the host Mongolia, and co-organizers Germany and France, for the successful organization and outcome of the Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Ulaanbaatar, and for the warm hospitality accorded to all its participants, and

Agree to continue efforts towards implementing our joint commitments as laid out in this declaration.

 Source: MFA