Top priorities include bringing the voices of women and girls to the global forum, and solutions to advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

NEW YORK (TIP): The 73rd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 73), is set to open on 18 September 2018 at the UN Secretariat in New York. Presiding over this session is Ecuadorean Foreign Minister María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, under the theme: “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies”. Garcés is only the fourth woman President of the UNGA in its 73 years.

For two weeks, leaders from governments, civil society and the private sector, as well as experts, activists, celebrities and other change-makers committed to global good are gathering to discuss a range of challenges—from gender equality to addressing poverty, climate change and inclusive urbanization. The High-level General Debate is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, 25 September, and run until 1 October.

Three years on from the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), UNGA 73 is an opportunity for countries to renew their commitments to gender equality and to accelerate progress towards the SDGs. As the recent UN Women’s flagship report “Turning promises into action: Gender equality in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” shows, gender inequalities prevail in every dimension of sustainable development. In many areas, progress for women and girls remains too slow to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Women’s equality and empowerment is not only one of the SDGs (Goal 5), but also integral to all dimensions of inclusive and sustainable development.

Throughout the session, a wide range of pressing topics for the gender equality agenda is being discussed, such as the pandemic of violence against women and girls, equal pay, gender-responsive migration policies, and the role of men and boys in advancing gender equality. A key pledging event will examine opportunities for the private sector and philanthropists to accelerate progress.

Goodwill Ambassadors from many UN agencies are also participating in events and advocating for specific issues. UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway is speaking at the HeForShe IMPACT Summit on 26 September, and Kristen Bell, an advocate for the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund, is attending the 27 September event on Accelerating the Women’s Movement for Peace and Humanitarian Action.

Later in the session (on 5 and 8 October), the General Assembly is paying particular attention to ending all forms of violence against women and girls, trafficking in women and girls, and female genital mutilations. Three reports (A/73/294, A/73/266, and A/73/263), prepared by UN Women and being discussed at the international gathering, aims to present best practice examples and make concrete proposals for further action to tackle the scourge of violence and sexual harassment.

UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. For more information, visit www.unwomen.org. UN Women, 220 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017, New York. Tel: +1 646 781-4400. Fax: +1 646 781-4496.