Resident Coordinator's speech: International Women's Day Forum 2025

Excellencies, Distinguished guests, colleagues, friends, ladies and gentlemen,

“If we want to build the nation we want, we need to empower women.”

These are not my words, but the opening sentence of the honourable Prime Minister’s speech at the International Women Day event this past Saturday. This statement was the foundation upon which Dato Sri Anwar Ibrahim built a compelling and powerful argument on the central role of women in Malaysia, and what remains to be done.

It filled me with hope to listen to the Prime Minister celebrating women as mothers, educators, bearers of the values of humanity, care and solidarity, but equally as agents of growth and development, as champions of integrity and leaders in science and technology, with an immense potential to influence how fast and how far Malaysia will go.

He also commended the many ongoing efforts and initiatives led by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, and sent a loud and clear call to all his cabinet members to make women’s empowerment their business as well. 

I would like to take a moment to congratulate YB Hajah Nancy Shukri, Minister of Women, Family and Community Development on the launch of its new National Women’s Policy Action Plan. A policy that we hope, will permeate all other national policies and strategies, and serve to both mainstream gender equality and women’s empowerment, and make it a national cause and driving force behind every woman and girl in Malaysia.

Ladies and gentlemen, 

Thank you for joining the UN in Malaysia as we mark the International Women’s Day. Our appreciation goes to government, civil society organizations, representatives of businesses and to all our partners in the diplomatic community. Special thanks go to the Asia School of Business for hosting our event for the second year in a row. 

I also extend my warm thanks to the Embassy of Finland in Malaysia. Thank you, Excellency Anne Vasara, for the great idea to celebrate women from Asia and the Pacific through the art of photography and through the lens of renowned photo-journalist Rauli Virtanen. I encourage you all to spend a few moments viewing the exhibition outside the auditorium.

The fight for gender equality is far from over. This year’s theme—For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.—underscores both the urgency and the universality of our mission.

The month of March is for celebration, but we cannot celebrate progress without recognizing the setbacks. Thirty years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most ambitious global blueprint for gender equality, we are witnessing a rollback of women’s rights in many parts of the world, from regressive policies to cultural narratives seeking to reverse hard-won rights.

The Beijing+30 review tells us that while gains have been made, they remain fragile. The world is still failing women and girls—progress is too slow, gaps persist, and in some areas, we are even regressing. 

One country in four reported rollbacks on progress. Women's rights are precarious and cannot be taken for granted. A woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or member of her own family. 

So the fight is far from over and this year is both pivotal and one of the most challenging for women and girls.

In a few hours, the Commission on the Status of Women will convene its 69th session.

CSW was established in 1946 and has played a pivotal role in shaping global norms, from drafting key parts of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to leading the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979. 

CSW has been the driving force behind the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action.

This year, CSW is convening at a time when the very fundamentals of gender equality are being challenged. When hard-won rights are at risk. When the space for women’s voices is shrinking, and when the principles of equality and non-discrimination are being put into question. 

But CSW will continue to do what CSW does very well: remind the world that we must not only defend past gains but push forward with renewed determination. 

CSW remains a vital space for collective action, for reaffirming commitments, for driving the transformative change that the Beijing Platform for Action envisioned 30 years ago and for building a future where the rights, dignity, and agency of all women and girls are non-negotiable.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Malaysia has actively engaged in global fora and global frameworks such as CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action; they  have provided essential guidance for national policies, shaping legal and institutional reforms to enhance women's rights. 

These global commitments must continue to inform national efforts to close gender gaps and ensure inclusive development which addresses the widening economic inequalities, stagnant labor force participation, and the prevalence of violence against women and girls. 

Conflict, climate change, and economic crises disproportionately impact women and girls, deepening vulnerabilities and threatening hard-won achievements. 

But there is hope and international best practices, and intra-regional collaboration, through ASEAN and beyond, show us endless possibilities.

We have an opportunity and moral obligation to turn commitments into action. 

The Secretary-General’s report on Beijing+30 outlines six priority actions that must shape our collective response. These actions provide both a global framework and a catalyst for national transformation. 

This is our moment to move from promises to progress by:

1. Investing in women’s economic empowerment
2. Strengthening laws and institutions
3. Expanding education and skills development
4. Ensuring universal access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive rights
5. Ending violence against women and girls
6. Amplifying women’s voices and leadership

These are not abstract ambitions. These are concrete, evidence-based and urgent actions that can drive systemic change. 

This is how we can accelerate progress on the Sustainable Development Goals, how we make the promise of Beijing a lived reality, and how we can ensure that every woman and girl—regardless of background, identity, or circumstance—has the right to a life of dignity, equality, and empowerment.

The great news is that these action areas are at the very core of the Malaysia National Women’s Policy Action Plan.

We have seen what is possible when women come together and when men come on board: from the right to vote to the right to engage in paid work, equal opportunities, and freedom from violence – they were the result of battles fought and hard-won almost one century ago. 

Indeed, I want to underline also, that women empowerment is not a zero-sum game. Rather, we all benefit - women and men - when women’s myriad contributions are enabled and maximized. Society is stronger and more cohesive,  the economy grows faster and is more equitable, and our politics and governance are more inclusive and representative.  

Governments, civil society, academic institutions, businesses, the media and individuals regardless of their gender, age, ethnicity, disability status, migratory situation, all have a role to play to amplify this call to action—to ensure that the momentum of Beijing+30 translates into meaningful, irreversible progress. 

We must be fearless. We must be tireless. And we must stand together.

Because when we advance the rights of women and girls, we advance societies and uphold the very essence of our shared humanity.

Thank you and I look forward to a great panel and to engaging with the audience in an interactive discussion.