The Head of the human rights section of the Permanent Mission of Italy to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, Counsellor Daniele Borrelli, took the floor today during the Interactive Dialogue with the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls, in the framework of the 50th session of the Human Rights Council.
Counsellor Borrelli thanked on behalf of Italy the members of the Working Group for focusing their report on the fundamental contribution of girls and young women to the promotion of gender equality and female empowerment, as well as on the transformative potential of their activism.
As it was highlighted in the national statement, every country’s political, social and economic development deeply relies on the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, girls and young women in all spheres of public life. For this reason, Italian youth organisations have been involved in the drafting of National Recovery and Resilience Plan to bring their voice to building a just, inclusive, equitable and gender-responsive recovery. In addition, the current Italian UN Youth delegates actively participated in this year work of the UN Committee on the Status of Women.
Despite the significant progress made over the last decades, girls continue to be victims of discrimination, violence, exploitation and trafficking in many areas of the world. Counsellor Borrelli therefore reaffirmed Italy’s strong commitment to protecting their rights and to creating a safe and enabling environment for their activism, both at national and international level, to allow them to contribute to the advancement of the human rights agenda.
“Girls and young women around the world have proven to be fundamental agents for change and courageous human rights defenders, including on essential topics such as environment protection and the fight against climate change”, concluded Counsellor Borrelli, emphasizing that their role is crucial for promoting peace, stability and sustainable development in every country.
Read the full statement here.
