Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 4 July 2017 - Strasbourg

Recommendation to the Council on the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly (debate)

  Soraya Post, on behalf of the S&D Group. – Madam President, I would like to start by thanking Mr Kovatchev for the good cooperation during the writing of the report. Looking at the world today, it is clear that the EU and UN must strengthen the role of women in all segments of society. We especially need the representation of women from marginalised groups. The empowerment of marginalised women is not only democratic. It holds out the prospect of how to build democratic societies.

To this end, I have tabled multiple amendments to stress the importance of women’s participation in peace and security processes, all in line with the numerous UN resolutions on this issue. I have also requested the full implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action. And to be honest, as a feminist, I find it embarrassing to still have to put this argument forward.

The Beijing Platform should have been implemented a long time ago. We need implementation, we need reform and we need a UN Security Council that reflects the new world reality. It is time for the EU to have a single seat in the Security Council.