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STATEMENT BY MRS. ONON SODOV,

DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, MINISTRY OF FOREING AFFAIRS AND TRADE OF MONGOLIA

UNDER AGENDA ITEM 62 ON ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN

13 October 2009

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, I would like to express my delegation’s appreciation to the Division for the Advancement of Woman, the UNIFEM, the UNFPA and the Committee of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women for their continued efforts in supporting governments to advance in gender equality and women empowerment. The delegation of Mongolia wishes also to thank the Secretary-General for the comprehensive reports submitted under this item of the agenda.

We align ourselves to the statement made yesterday by the distinguished representative of Sudan on behalf of the Group 77 and China.

Mr. Chairman,

Let me begin my statement by reaffirming Mongolia’s strong commitment to the full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the outcome of the Twenty-third Special Session of the General Assembly, the International Convention against All Forms of Discrimination against Women and its Optional Protocol.

The issues of gender equality and women empowerment, including women’s access to education, skills training, full employment, affordable public health-care services, ending all forms of violence against them, enhancing their capacities are key factors for the promotion of social development and the achievement of the MDGs.

The Government of Mongolia has been undertaking comprehensive measures to ensure gender equality and women empowerment. Over the past decade several key policy documents, such as the National Programme for Advancement of Women, the National Gender Equality Programme, the Law on Combating Domestic Violence, the National MDGs, the National Programme to Prevent Trafficking of Children and Women for Sexual Exploitation have been approved and Mongolia has achieved substantial progress in their implementation. Moreover, the Law on Gender Equality has been recently submitted to the Parliament of Mongolia for consideration in its fall session.

Establishment of the National Committee for Gender Equality headed by the Prime Minister of Mongolia was an important step towards facilitating the implementation of the above-mentioned initiatives at the national and provincial levels. However, much more needs to be done in poverty reduction, decreasing of urban and rural disparities, reducing violence against girls and women, particularly the domestic violence, and increasing the capacity of women in leadership.

Improvement of the situation of women, particularly, in rural areas deserves a special attention. Efforts have been made to support rural women with income generation activities by provision of small loans with less interest, improving health services, including maternal and child care, and access to skills training. A particular emphasis is given to poor women and female-headed households with many children.

Next year the international community will commemorate the 15^th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action and the 10^th Anniversary of the Outcome Document of the Twenty-third Special session of the General Assembly on Women. Mongolia stands for and will continue its active engagement and constructive participation in the international fora for the universal advancement of women.

Thank you Mr.Chairman