Ulaanbaatar, July 3, 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.

Countries around the world have been progressing in advancing gender equality and prohibiting discrimination, and women’s share in the decision-making process. Increasing women’s political empowerment and economic participation are the areas of concern that need to be further addressed.

It is already a proven fact that women’s leadership brings a positive impact on all spheres of life. Accordingly, amplifying women’s voices and promoting them to senior leading positions are important for inspiring young women and girls around the world to achieve greater social recognition, leadership, and participation.

To this end, the Foreign Minister of Mongolia Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh put forward an initiative to hold a Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting for the first time in Mongolia to discuss issues facing international relations and seek possible solutions.

Accordingly, the Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting-2023 commenced on June 29, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, bringing together female foreign ministers of countries around the world, ambassadors for gender equality, and representatives from the UN and other international organizations.

The first-ever Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Ulaanbaatar aims to advance gender equality, human rights, and women's participation in decision-making, with Germany and France collaborating as organizers.

As our global community faces complex difficulties, it is becoming more evident that women's active engagement in decision-making is crucial to constructing a fairer and more inclusive future. The Meeting marks a noteworthy advancement in turning this vision into reality. By emphasizing the favorable outcomes resulting from women's participation in top-level governance, this event acts as a driving force for transformation, motivating governments, organizations, and individuals to implement tangible measures towards achieving gender equality and safeguarding human rights on a global scale. In this way, by amplifying the voices of women and fostering international cooperation, the Meeting paves the way for a future where gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality.

In his opening remarks, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa said, “Nowadays, the role and leadership of women leaders are crucial to ensuring global peace and security, and achieving the sustainable development goals. We now have less than half the time to achieve the SDGs compared to when it was adopted and the implementation of the 5th goal of ensuring gender equality still remains still insufficient. Gender statistics highlight the importance of bolstering female representation at decision-making levels, fostering robust support for women's employment, and empowering women economically as primary areas of concern. Researchers have concluded that as the proportion of women in national parliaments increases, the likelihood of violence, human rights violations, wars and conflicts decreases. Hence, fostering a world free of gender inequality stands as our shared aspiration. It is our collective duty and responsibility to collaborate towards its realization.

Strong partnership and close cooperation among women leaders are critical to achieving gender equality.

I am confident that today’s Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will contribute to the achievement of the SDGs, in particular gender equality, highlight the importance of women’s participation and leadership in addressing global challenges, and strengthen their leadership and political will.”

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh highlighted, “We have gathered today as members of one big family, with confidence, with hope, and with a determination that together as women-leaders we will be able to make a change, a lasting change to improve the well-being of our peoples. We will engage in open and sincere discussions on the most pressing issues the world is facing today. We will deliberate on our policies and actions to ensure that our children, youth, women and men alike, enjoy better lives, enjoy equal opportunities and enjoy lasting peace and freedom. The empowerment of women is not just a moral imperative. It is an essential catalyst for social, economic, and political progress. Let us not forget that progress toward gender equality is our inherent shared responsibility. Our governments, civil society organizations, the private sector, and individuals must act collectively. We must work together to dismantle the barriers that limit women’s full participation in all spheres of life. We, as Ministers, but above all, as women, have the heart, mind and soul to succeed in our pursuit of equal opportunities, equal representation, and equal rights for all.

Despite the wealth of evidence highlighting the benefits of investing in women can bring in terms of conflict prevention, crisis response, and peace, the failure to allocate sufficient resources and funds has been perhaps the most serious and persistent obstacle to the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda over the past 23 years. In this regard, we welcome the decision by Germany to allocate at least 1 million euros to the “Women Peace and Humanitarian Fund” for 2024, and France’s decision to allocate 1 million euros to the UNDP’s “Gender and Crisis Management Facility.

Let us all together make concerted efforts to bring about notable change, remarkable improvement in the lives of our girls and women. If there is a will, there is a way. On this cause, the most noble of all, we are destined to succeed.”

By advocating for a stable society with human rights, freedom, and equal opportunities, the Meeting aimed to highlight the positive impact of women’s involvement at the highest levels of decision-making. We can summarize the aims and significance of the Meeting in the following three aspects. These are:

Empowering Women in Global Decision-Making

The Meeting in Ulaanbaatar held great significance in the pursuit of gender equality and the advancement of women’s rights worldwide. By gathering female foreign ministers from around the globe, the event sought to facilitate meaningful conversations and collaboration on topics impacting women and girls. It aimed to break barriers and promote inclusivity and acknowledges the vital role of diverse viewpoints and experiences in ensuring effective decision-making and promoting sustainable development.

International Cooperation for Gender Equality

The Meeting was a result of collaborative efforts between Mongolia, Germany and France. These nations recognize the importance of international cooperation in addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment. By organizing this historic gathering, they aimed to encourage other countries to prioritize women’s rights in their foreign policies and promote gender-responsive approaches to global challenges. In this regard, the Meeting signified a unified commitment towards advancing gender equality on a global scale.

Addressing Key Global Challenges through Female Leadership

The Female Foreign Ministers' Meeting provided a platform for comprehensive discussions on critical global issues. The year 2022 has witnessed unprecedented geopolitical tensions that brought not only added complexity to addressing the challenges facing the world community, but also exacerbated the existing challenges. Threats such as climate change, natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic are on the rise, requiring greater cooperation among countries on the international stage as no country can address them individually. All countries, especially small and poor ones, suffer the most from the negative consequences, including rising unemployment and poverty and political instability around the globe. They also pose major risks that could undermine global peace and security and the hitherto achievements towards the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Many consequences of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have weakened food systems vulnerabilities, further exacerbating the existing inequalities. This is especially evident in countries like Mongolia, which remain highly vulnerable to food prices and foreign exchange volatility. Therefore, as the host country, Mongolia proposed the following three topics for the first day’s discussion:

- Role of women in promoting peace and security,

- Climate change, and

- Food security.

Recognizing that women’s perspectives and expertise are invaluable in these areas, the Meeting aimed to harness their leadership potential to drive meaningful change.

The second day of the Meeting continued with cultural events exclusively prepared for the participants, such as visiting the "Chinggis Khaan" museum and experienced the "Mini Naadam" Festival. Moreover, Heads of Delegations visited the Session of the State Great Khural (Parliament) of Mongolia and engaged in meeting with the Chairman of the State Great Khural G. Zandanshatar.

The consensus and solidarity of Female Foreign Ministers will serve as a great impetus for promoting multilateral cooperation to address global challenges. Mongolia also hopes that the Meeting would benefit shaping pro-women foreign policy in our greater neighborhood in Asia and believes that our initiative will contribute to the efforts of other countries pursuing a feminist foreign policy.

As an outcome of the Meeting, the "Ulaanbaatar Declaration" was issued on June 30.