Honorable Chair,

Germany aligns itself with the statement of the European Union.

Those who were in Beijing in 1995 still remember it fondly: There was a tangible spirit of optimism and empowerment. The Beijing outcomes are considered a milestone, a shining example of multilateral cooperation.

And today, 30 years later? Yes, we can and we should celebrate the progress made.

For instance: that the number of countries which have legislation against domestic violence has increased by one third in thirty years.

In Germany, we just recently decisively complemented our legal provisions against gender-based violence and adopted the “Violence Assistance Act”.

For the very first time, survivors of violence will have an individual right to protection and counseling!

However, all over the world, including in my own country, progress in implementing the Beijing Platform has been too slow and uneven.

30 years after Beijing and only five years before the 2030 Agenda expires, we can and we must do better.

But what is holding us back?

After all, in 1995, the world was not free from economic and geopolitical tensions either. Yet, despite this fact, our predecessors adopted by consensus the most ambitious roadmap on gender equality to date.

After long weeks of negotiations, we showed this kind of multilateral spirit this week again. It is a good and a needed signal for all women and girls that we adopted by consensus a strong political declaration.

However, it is concerning, that we could not find consensus on ALL urgent gender equality issues.

For Germany, I would like to mention three priority areas for action that we see as essential for ensuring faster progress.

First: Eliminating all forms of gender-based violence, in particular sexual gender-based violence. This has always been and continues to be the worst form of abuse of power.

Second: Strengthening sexual and reproductive health and rights. I sincerely hope that we will soon find new ways to adequately address this topic. Half of humanity rightly can expect that we ensure their right to live a self-determined life!

Third: Promoting Women’s Economic Equality.Prioritizing economic self-sufficiency could be the game changer.

Chair, no single country has achieved full gender equality to date, this years’ CSW needs to send out a clear signal for a fresh start.

Let us intensify our efforts and work together in progressive multi-stakeholder alliances – between governments, the private sector and civil society.

Earlier, I mentioned Germany’s recent Violence Assistance Act.

This Act truly is a best practice example of feminist cooperation across party lines and sectors.

A strong, vocal civil society helped us with their public support. This kind of spirit, that also guided the discussions in 1995, is exactly what we envision for cooperation here at the CSW. 12,500 NGO delegates registering for this year’s CSW give us hope! If we all combine our efforts, then we can make a real change.

The upcoming discussions on revitalizing the CSW, as envisaged in the UN Pact for the Future, could open up new spaces and opportunities to define how we can generate more impact and accelerate gender equality progress. Germany is ready to engage constructively in this process.

We believe in the value of multilateral cooperation and look forward to work with all who are committed to implementing the SDGs and goals of the Beijing Platform for Action. In the spirit of the work that our predecessors began in 1995. let us move forward. The time to act is now!