General Debate of the 67th Session of the General Assembly

During the week-long General Debate, the General- Secretary Ban Ki-moon, the President of the General Assembly, Vuk Jeremic and representatives from 193 member states put forth their concerns, positions and priorities to the Assembly under the theme of “adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations by peaceful means”.

Out of a total of 194 analyzed statements, 58 contained general comments on women and gender issues. A majority of them, such as India, Belgium and Papua New Guinea, mentioned their commitment to advance gender equality and promoting women's political and economical participation, both nationally and within the UN agencies. A general tendency in the statements was that women were referred to in a context where the needs and rights of vulnerable groups in the society were addressed, such as people with disabilities, elderly, youth, children, refugees and minorities. Repeating patterns of previous years, statements tended to depict women as mere victims in need of greater protection and failed to address their important role as agents for peace and security.