At the World Women's Forum, President Pirc Musar calls for gender equality at the United Nations

Slovenia appreciates Mongolia's leadership in gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in society and welcomes the organisation of the World Women's Forum. The President of Slovenia was therefore very pleased to accept the invitation of the President of Mongolia to attend the World Women's Forum as Guest of Honour, as this event provides an important platform for dialogue. It highlights the key role of women in all segments of society, addresses the challenges we face as a society and strengthens cooperation in areas that are essential for women's empowerment.

Slovenia attaches great importance to human rights, and women's rights are among the country's priorities in multilateral forums. 

As the President pointed out, Slovenia, as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, is a vocal advocate for the rights and empowerment of women and girls. She mentioned that "Under the leadership of its first female Foreign Minister, Slovenia is pursuing a feminist foreign policy and actively promoting the Women, Peace and Security Agenda." President Pirc Musar also pointed out that "Slovenia's representatives and our allies in international fora are vocal when we hear about the horrific crimes against girls in Palestine, Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, Sudan and other war-affected countries, who are unable to go to school; who are forced into marriage; who suffer horrific sexual violence."

Slovenia is working with Mongolia on training for peacekeeping operations, where the joint project also focuses on protecting the rights of women and girls in post-conflict areas. In this way, it helps peacekeepers to gain new knowledge on gender aspects of armed conflict, gender equality and human dignity.

The President underlined the importance of leading the country with courage, vision and an unwavering commitment to gender equality and climate action. She noted that "We see Mongolia as a key partner in these efforts. I welcome the outcome of last year's Foreign Ministers' meeting in Mongolia and the adoption of the Ulaanbaatar Declaration, which underlines the key role of women in promoting peace, security and combating climate change.

It is high time for gender equality in the UN leadership and I strongly support the Rotate for Equality initiative, which aims to ensure gender equality in the leadership of the UN General Assembly. In its almost 79-year history, this major political body has been chaired by 74 men and only four women. This imbalance is unacceptable and I call on all countries represented here today to support this initiative as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action," she stressed.

The President also attended an event organised by the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia in Beijing and the Mongolian Forestry Agency entitled "Engaging Local Communities in Achieving the Sustainable Development Agenda", where, in her welcoming address, the President stressed that "Sustainable forest management is not just about trees - it's also about people. We need to ensure that our forests continue to meet our needs, as they have for generations before us. Those who live in close contact with nature should be empowered to assume a leading role in its conservation." 

She welcomed the workshops on women's empowerment in forestry, which are implemented through women's empowerment in rural areas as part of Slovenia's development projects in Mongolia and are aimed at transferring Slovenia's knowledge in the field of sustainable forest management. 

Slovenian President  Pirc Musar also symbolically planted a red pine in support of the initiative of the President of Mongolia, who, due to increasing deforestation, aims to plant a billion new trees in the country. She also opened a photography exhibition, Guardians of the Earth, by Matjaž Tančič, presenting the stories of rural women and their connection to the environment.