Towards the XXVII Ibero-American Summit: Women’s leadership for an inclusive future pact

April 8, 2021

Women’s leadership for an inclusive future pact

Vice-Presidents and leaders of multi-lateral organizations from Ibero America made up the High-level event “Towards the XXVII Ibero-American Summit: Women’s leadership for an inclusive future pact”, hosted by the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Inter-American Task Force on Women's Leadership.

The dialogue took place on April 8, 2021, and included the participation of the Vice-presidents of the Government of Spain, Carmen Calvo; Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez; Uruguay, Beatriz Argimón, and Costa Rica, Epsy Campbell; as well as the SEGIB Secretary-General, Rebeca Grynspan; the Regional Director for the Americas and the Caribbean of UN Women, María Noel Vaeza, and the Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission of Women, Alejandra Mora Mora.

For these women leaders, the Ibero-American Summit is an opportunity to rethink the model of region after the current crisis, where women's leadership is key to leave no one behind.

"We are in the midst of the worst crisis we have experienced in the last 120 years. Recovery strategies must seize this historic opportunity to rethink the future and build a 'new normal' that is a 'better normal' for women. To promote the transformative changes that are required, a greater presence of women in decision-making spaces is essential" , highlighted Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of SEGIB.

“Feminist leadership, led by women, is without a doubt the revolution of this period and the most important social movement of recent times. The current challenge must be to bring our equality agenda to all sectors" , said Alejandra Mora Mora, Executive Secretary of the CIM/OAS.

"Only 5% of women have been at the decision-making table for pandemic mitigation measures. We need more women leading decision-making structures", emphasized María Noel Vaeza, Regional Director of UN Women for Latin America and the Caribbean.

As a result of the event, the governments of Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain and Uruguay, together with SEGIB, CIM/OAS and UN Women, called on the Ibero-American States to ensure the equal participation of women in all areas of decision-making, not only to mitigate the disproportionate effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, but also to ensure a more inclusive future. After warning of the generalized absence of women in decision-making bodies on COVID-19 around the world, the statement insists that “…gender equality must be placed at the center of multilateral dialogue spaces and public policies,” and reiterates the need to “…accelerate efforts to reduce inequality gaps between women and men, through commitments that are translated into actions.” The purpose of the declaration was to urge the countries that later participated in the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government to agree on concrete commitments for gender equality and the participation and leadership of women.

• Read HERE the statement.