Beijing+30 Regional Review Meeting

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Concept note

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ECE/AC.28/2024/1

Provisional agenda

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ECE/AC.28/2024/2

Report of the Beijing+30 regional review meeting

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ECE/AC.28/2024/3

Regional review of progress: Regional synthesis report

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ECE/AC.28/2024/5

Leveraging all financing flows for gender equality and women's empowerment in the ECE Region, by UN Women

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ECE/AC.28/2024/6

Breaking the cycle: Ending violence against women and girls in the ECE region

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ECE/AC.28/2024/7

Women Rising: Leadership and decision-making in the ECE region

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ECE/AC.28/2024/8

Empowerment and Equality for Migrant Women and Girls: Progress and Opportunities in the ECE Region

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ECE/AC.28/2024/9

Gender dimensions of just transitions in the ECE Region

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ECE/AC.28/2024/10

Investing in women's economic empowerment: The path to inclusive, peaceful, prosperous and sustainable societies in the ECE region.

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ECE/AC.28/2024/11

Status of rural women in Europe and Central Asia.

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Item 1: Opening of the meeting

Ms. Molcean, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of UNECE, brings to the position twenty years of experience in the public sector with extensive international cooperation and development experience, and in-depth knowledge and expertise across the entire UNECE membership.Prior to her appointment, she was the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the United Nations Office, World Trade Organization and other international organizations in Geneva (since 2020).She served as State Secretary and Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Bilateral Cooperation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration (2017-2020), Deputy Director General for European Integration and Head of the Division for Economic and Sector Cooperation with the European Union (2012-2017) and Head of the Division for Economic Cooperation and Sectorial Coordination at the General Directorate for European Integration (2004-2008).  A career diplomat, she has also served as Chargé d’Affaires at the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova to Sweden (2008-2011).

Ms. Gumbonzvanda assumed her role as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination, and Programme Results on 6 February 2024. She brings over 35 years of experience in development, human rights, peace and security, high-level advocacy, civil society engagement, and policy development. Her work focuses on women’s empowerment, gender equality, and the rights of women and children. She founded and served as Chief Executive of the Rozaria Memorial Trust, an organization established in memory of her mother. Since 2007, the Trust has supported girls and women in rural Zimbabwean communities through innovative initiatives that promote education, health, and entrepreneurship. She was the first African Union Goodwill Ambassador on Ending Child Marriage (2014- 2022).

Mr. Martin Chungong made double history in 2014 by becoming the first African and first non-European to be elected Secretary General of IPU. In 2022 he was re-elected to a third term of office. With more than four decades of experience and knowledge of parliaments at national and international levels, he is dedicated to promoting and building democracy worldwide and is driving the IPU’s efforts to bring more young people into parliaments. Since 2012, he has pushed to strengthen parliamentary engagement on sustainable development and accountability and is  a leader in the field of developing programmes for parliaments to become more transparent, accountable, representative, and effective democratic institutions. He has further contributed to establishing governance benchmarks to strengthen democracy. He sits on the Board of the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health. He was appointed by the UN Secretary-General as one of the global leaders fighting malnutrition through the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement. He is a member of the High-Level Commission on the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25 Follow-up, as well as a Commissioner on the Club de Madrid’s Global Commission on Democracy and Emergencies. He chairs the Global Board of the International Gender Champions; a network of decision-makers, male and female, who have committed to breaking down gender barriers.

Item 3: Election of Chairpersons

Ms. Lyazzat Kaltayeva is a distinguished public servant and politician from Kazakhstan. She has built a significant career advocating for the rights of people with disabilities and serving in various leadership roles. She is currently an Advisor to the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan and Chairperson of the Senate Inclusion Council (January 2022-October 2024). She served as a member of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. Her professional experience spans several important roles: Secretary of the Frunzensky District Society of the Disabled people in Almaty (1987-1991); Marketing engineer at the Alatau District Disabled Society’s Small Enterprise "Tumar" (1991-1996); Marketing engineer at the "Victoria" Small Enterprise in Almaty (1996-1997); and President of the public organization "Association of Women with Disabilities 'Shyrak'" in Almaty (2001-2022). Her political career includes serving as a member of the Almaty City Maslikhat (2016-2021). Recognized for her contributions to society, she was awarded the Order of "Kurmet" in 2015.

Mr. Marcos Gómez Martínez is the Permanent Representative of Spain to the United Nations Office at Geneva, as of July 2024. Prior to his appointment in Geneva, he had served as: Ambassador of Spain to the Russian Federation from November 2021; the Ambassador of Spain to Colombia in 2020 and 2021 and the Director-General for the United Nations and Human Rights from 2018 to 2020. He also served as Consul General of Spain in Guangzhou in 2017 and 2018; as Deputy Consul at the Consulate General of Spain in London from 2012 to 2017; as Ambassador for Polar and Oceanic Affairs in 2011 and 2012; and as Ambassador of Spain to New Zealand, cross-accredited to Fiji, Samoa, Tona and the Cook Islands from 2008 to 2011. Among other positions, he was a Foreign Policy Advisory in the Cabinet of the Prime Minister of Spain from 2004 to 2008; a Human Rights Counsellor at the Spanish Mission to the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2001 to 2004; a Counsellor at the Spanish Embassy to Argentina from 1998 to 2001; and an Advisor in the Cabinet of the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1996 to 1998. He joined the Spanish Foreign Service in 1990. Mr. Gomez Martinez is a certified translator for English and Russian.

Item 5 - Accelerating women's economic empowerment: The path to peaceful, just, and inclusive societies

Moderator:

Ms. Beate Andrees has been serving as the ILO Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia since 1 June 2020. She had also worked as the Chief of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work Branch at the ILO in Geneva, where she played a key role in various initiatives, including the launch and consolidation of Alliance 8.7, a multi-stakeholder partnership to end forced labour, modern slavery, human trafficking, and child labour in line with SDG target 8.7, as well as coordinating efforts that led to the adoption of the 2014 Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention (1930). She has also overseen the implementation of the ILO's flagship programme on child labour and forced labour, covering more than 60 countries across the world, and has authored various articles and books in the areas of migration, trafficking, labour market governance, and supply chains. Prior to joining the ILO in 2003, she worked on special assignments for the public relations department of the German Parliament and lectured at the Freie University on gender, human rights, and development.

Panellists:

Ms. Susannne Raab has been serving as the Federal Minister for Women, Family, Integration, and Media in the Austrian Federal Chancellery since January 2022. Prior to this, she was the Federal Minister for Women, Family, Youth, and Integration (February 2021- January 2022), and the Federal Minister for Women and Integration (January 2020 to February 202)1. She started at the Federal Chancellery in January 2020, as a Federal Minister without a portfolio. Her career reflects her commitment and extensive experience in integration, women’s rights and public administration. She served as Head of the Integration Section, Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration, and Foreign Affairs (September 2017-January 2020). She was the Head of the Department for Integration Coordination at the same ministry (March 2014-September 2017), and at the Federal Ministry of the Interior (July 2013-February 2014). She has contributed to academia as a research assistant and university assistant, and has taught political education at Danube University Krems.

Ms. Ekin Deligöz has been serving as Parliamentary State Secretary to the German Federal Minister for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth since December 2021. She has been politically active since 1988 and has been a member of the German Bundestag since 1998, holding several roles within the Alliance 90/The Greens. In addition to her political career, she is actively involved in several voluntary organizations, including UNICEF Germany and the German Child Protection Association. Prior to her political career, she worked at ICLEI, the Goethe-Institut Ankara, and served as a tutor for local politics at the University of Konstanz.

Ms. Gulnora Rakhimova was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance of Uzbekistan in July 2021. Prior to this, she served as the deputy head of the Treasury - Director of the Public Procurement Department at the Ministry of Finance from 2002 to 2014. She worked as a senior lecturer and a senior researcher at the National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek. From 2014 to 2017, she was a senior teacher at the Center for the training and retraining of employees of financial bodies and accounting units of budgetary organizations under the Ministry of Finance, and became Head of Department from 2017 to 2019. She worked as head of the Department for Management and Monitoring of Public Procurement of the Treasury from 2019 to2020. She has held various positions in academia and government, showcasing her expertise in finance and public procurement.

Ms. Roya Garayeva was elected Chair of the Women’s Committee of the Pan- European Regional Council (PERC) in 2022 and serves as vice president of the Women’s Committee and as a titular member of the General Council of the International Trade Unions Confederation (ITUC). She is the Head of the International Relations Department of the Azerbaijan Trade Union Confederation since 2014. Over the past decade, she has gained extensive experience in organizing international conferences and meetings, fostering cooperation with global organizations, and navigating complex challenges with effective problem-solving skills. Her expertise includes promoting gender equality and addressing key issues aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Throughout her career, she is passionate about contributing to key global discussions on gender equality, decent work, and sustainable development hosted by the UN, ILO, ITUC, and PERC, among others, with a focus on promoting labor rights, social justice, and international collaboration.

Ms. Asel Kubanychbekova is a founder and member of the Board of ‘She Starts’, a women's entrepreneurship development foundation in Kyrgyzstan. She has extensive experience leading initiatives on women's economic empowerment at both the national and regional levels and has co-led youth advocacy campaigns for girls' and women's rights in Europe and Central Asia. As one of the National Youth Gender Activists in the UN Women's Gender Youth Group, she served as the Sustainable Development Goals #5 "Gender Equality" Youth Ambassador in the Kyrgyz Republic. She is an alumna of the ‘Women Deliver Young Leaders’ Global Program, which aims to empower young advocates for gender equality, sexual and reproductive health and rights. With her passion for women's economic empowerment and her educational background, she continues to make significant contributions to promoting gender equality and women's rights in Kyrgyzstan and beyond.

Item 6: Women in leadership and their full and equal participation in decision-making in the ECE region

Moderator:

Dr. Nicole Ameline is the Vice-Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and a French candidate for the 2020 term. As a leading expert on women's rights and empowerment, particularly in the areas of peace and security, she focuses on promoting the SDGs. She has a strong background in law and has served several terms as a member of the French National Assembly for the Republican party (1991-2017) where she held Ministerial portfolios on gender and equality, maritime issues, and decentralization, and was a member of several parliamentary committees. She also served as the French representative to the International Labour Organization and as Ambassador at large on globalization and social issues (2005 to 2007). She was the Chair of the Defence and Security Committee during her time as a representative to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, gaining extensive expertise in supporting women's access to politics.

Panellists:

Ms. Aina Calvo Sastre is currently the Spanish State Secretary for Equality and for the Eradication of Violence against Women. In October 2021, she was awarded the Medal of the National Order of Merit of France in recognition of her contributions to international cooperation and development. She has been serving as the Government Delegate in the Balearic Islands since February 2020. She has held various political positions throughout her career, including Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) (2018-2020), Spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group in the Palma City Council (2011 to 2015), Co-President of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions in 2011, and Mayor of Palma (2007-2011). She also served as the Deputy Director-General for Cooperation and Cultural Promotion Abroad in the Directorate-General for Cultural and Scientific Relations (MAEC-AECID) (2004-2006) and as a Member of Parliament for the Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands(2003-2004). She has been a tenured professor at the Department of Applied Pedagogy and Educational Psychology of the University of the Balearic Islands since July 2000.

Ms. Isabelle Rome is the Ambassador at Large for Human Rights for France. Her extensive career in the judiciary and public service is marked by significant contributions to human rights and gender equality. Most recently, she was the Minister Delegate in charge of Equality between Women and Men, Diversity, and Equal Opportunities (May 2022-July 2023). Prior to this, she was a senior official for gender equality at the Ministry of Justice in 2018. She served as an advisor to the Court of Appeal of Versailles and President of the Assize Courts of Nanterre, Versailles, Pontoise, and Chartres (2012-2018). Her earlier roles include holding various positions in Amiens and Pontoise in 2002: as technical advisor in charge of judicial protection of youth, victim assistance and access to rights into Marylise Lebranchu's office, former French Minister of Justice (2000-2002), and heading the crime prevention office at the Interministerial Delegation for the City (1998). She also worked as an investigating judge (1996-1998), Secretary General of the Presidency of the Lyon High Court (1992-1995), and began her career as a sentencing judge in Lyon in 1987. She has been actively involved in numerous associations supporting women victims of violence, refugees, asylum seekers, and people in detention. She is also an accomplished author and has written several books on the profession of judge, on women in prison as well as on domestic violence, in particular the hold that one person can have on the other in domestic violence situations.

Dr. Tea Jaliashvili is the First Deputy Director (FDD)/ODIHR Director’s Alternate. She has extensive experience in strategic policy development and the management and administration of technical cooperation programmes in the fields of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, within international, national and non-governmental organizations. Before joining ODIHR, she served as the acting Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe. She previously worked as the Deputy Director at the Women’s Information Center in Georgia, where she was deeply involved in strengthening the capacity of civil society to protect women’s rights and advance gender equality. She has also worked for the UN, the Council of Europe, and EU joint initiatives in several regions. Throughout her career, she has worked toward achieving peace and a just society based on principles of good governance and the rule of law.  Her contributions have been instrumental in legislative reforms, policy and institutional development, including strengthening and harmonizing the work of the judiciary and National Human Rights Institutions.

Ms. Mary Collins is the current Secretary General of the European Women's Lobby (EWL). Prior to assuming this role, she served as the EWL Senior Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, focusing on socio-economic issues related to women's economic independence and worked on various topics, including the gender pay gap, pensions, poverty gaps, work-life balance, and the EU2020 Strategy/European Semester/ economic governance framework from a gender perspective, coordinated the EWL feminist economics working group, and published the EWL Purple Pact, which advocates for a feminist approach to the economy. With over 25 years of professional experience, she has worked on a wide range of issues related to gender equality, including violence against women, EU asylum and human rights policies, the EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities. Her expertise spans policy development, capacity building, representation, campaigning, and advocacy.

Ms. Sarah Childs is the Chair of Politics and Gender at the University of Edinburgh. She was Professor of Politics & Gender at Royal Holloway from 2020 to 2022, Birkbeck College from 2017 to 2020, and the University of Bristol from 2009 to 2014. She has authored four research monographs: "New Labour's Women MPs" in 2004, "Women and British Party Politics" in 2008, "Sex Gender and the Conservative Party" co-authored with Paul Webb in 2012, and her most recent award-winning book, "Feminist Democratic Representation" co-authored with Karen Celis in 2020. Her upcoming book, "Designing and Building Feminist Institutions," draws on her experiences being seconded to the UK House of Commons in 2015-16, drafting "The Good Parliament Report," and conducting gender-sensitive parliaments research with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, IPU, OSCE, and UN Women.

Ms. Nabeelah Shabbir is a British-Pakistani freelance journalist. She is currently Deputy Director of Research at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ). From her base in Amsterdam (Netherlands), she collaborates with a team investigating topics such as: disinformation in newsrooms globally; the state of journalism after the pandemic; and online violence against women journalists worldwide. She is co-author of a series of reports at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford about digital-born news media; innovation in news media in the Global South; and the impact of the Panama Papers investigation three years on. At The Guardian, she shared a British Journalism Award with the “Keep it in the Ground” team, which focused its reporting on fossil fuel divestment and climate change, in 2015. She also received the “European Young Journalist of the Year” award for her writing in Kosovo in 2008.

Item 7: Ending violence against women and girls in the ECE region

 Moderator:

Ms. Pille Tsopp-Pagan currently serves as an expert member of GREVIO (Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence), the independent body responsible for monitoring the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention) by the Parties. She is also a board member and co-founder of the Tartu Women’s Shelter, established in 2002 as the first domestic violence shelter in the Baltics. Over the past eight years, she has served as its Executive Director, leading the rebranding of the organization into the Women’s Support and Information Center (WSIC), an internationally-oriented organization engaged in policy analysis, advocacy, research, and education. She is an active human rights advocate in Estonia and a frequent speaker at international conferences on topics such as domestic violence and elder abuse.

Panellists:

Ms. Katarzyna Kotula is the Minister for Equality of Poland and a Member of Parliament in the 9th term, actively working in the area of women's rights and social policy. She serves as the Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Group for Reproductive Rights and is a member of the Committee for Social Policy and Family and the standing subcommittee for Family in the 9th term of office of the Sejm. She is particularly involved in cases where the rights of women, older people, and excluded individuals, including people with disabilities, have been violated. She co-founded the Social Committee "We are," which aimed to introduce and apply the UN Convention on Persons with Disabilities in Poland. Throughout her career, she has organized and participated in various protests and events related to the defense of human rights. She was one of the leaders of the National Women's Strike and has been involved in defending victims of pedophilia in the Church. From the beginning, she has been strongly committed to changing the anti-abortion law and promoting women's rights, including reproductive rights. She was also a member of the legislative initiative committee "Legal abortion. No compromise." She is a philologist, English teacher, social activist, and entrepreneur.

Ms. Ana Racu is a prominent human rights expert and public servant, currently holding the positions of Vice-chairperson of the United Nations Committee Against Torture (UNCAT) and the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Public Order in the Republic of Moldova. As a member of the UNCAT since 2016 and its Vice-chairperson since 2021, she has been actively involved in the global fight against torture and the protection of human rights. In her role as Vice-chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee, she contributes to shaping national policies on security, defense, and public order. Previously, her expertise in human rights and criminal justice reform was built upon her extensive experience in monitoring places of detention, drafting reports, and conducting training sessions for stakeholders in the criminal justice system. Her steadfast commitment to human rights drives her tireless efforts to promote justice and protect the rights of individuals at both national and international levels.

Ms. Colette Fry is a delegate at the Office for the Promotion of Equality and the Prevention of Violence-BPEV of the canton of Geneva, where she has worked since 2015. She is particularly responsible for inter-cantonal and national issues, as well as LGBTIQ+ themes. Prior to this, she spent 21 years running the Victim support counselling Center of Geneva, and 6 years running a social and professional reintegration organization. A graduate in social work and ethnology, she completed her training with CAS in gender studies and in social policy and a DAS in management. She has chaired a number of conferences in French-speaking Switzerland and, at a national level, for 4 years was Co-chair of the Swiss Conference against Domestic Violence.

Dr. Hans Henri Kluge currently serves as the WHO Regional Director for Europe, a role he assumed in February 2020, shortly before COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic. In his current role, Dr. Kluge advocates strongly with governments and funders for strengthening health systems, prioritizing primary health care as a cornerstone of public health. Having qualified in medicine, surgery and obstetrics, Dr. Kluge's extensive global experience includes seminal years with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Belgium amid health and humanitarian crises in Liberia and Somalia, as well as serving as the Moscow-based Regional TB Advisor for countries formerly part of the Soviet Union. He joined WHO in 1999, holding various positions such as TB/HIV Project Manager at WHO Russia, TB Medical Officer at WHO Myanmar, and Team Leader for the HIV, TB, and malaria unit. In 2010, he was appointed Director of the Division of Health Systems and Public Health, as well as Special Representative of the Regional Director to Combat Multi/Extensively Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis at the WHO European Regional Office.

Ms. Branislava Arađan is a law graduate and human rights activist from Novi Sad, Serbia, with over a decade of experience advocating for human and youth rights and through various NGOs. She co-founded an NGO focused on empowering young people through capacity building, advocacy, and campaigning, while also working as an educator on topics like human trafficking and digital safety. In November 2021, she joined the Women Against Violence Europe (WAVE) Network as a Project and Youth Ambassador Coordinator. In this role, she supports the work of WAVE Youth Ambassadors and initiatives such as the “I am Women/Girl in Cyberspace” campaign. Her work centers on youth engagement, child safeguarding policies, feminist self-care, and advancing efforts on primary prevention of violence against women and girls. Currently based in Vienna, Austria, she continues to champion gender equality and youth empowerment.

Ms. Xeniya Udod is the Executive Director of FemAgora, a regional non-government grassroots feminist organization. She is a member of the UN Women ECA Beijing+30 Civil Society Steering Committee. She is an experienced gender and feminist researcher and practitioner, event moderator, a Generation Equality Forum (GEF) Advocacy Lead, and a speaker at country- and regional-level policy events. She is a seasoned journalist, broadcasting presenter, and storytelling editor with more than 25 years of experience working for the press, TV, and digital media. She has seven years of work experience with the European Union Delegation in Kazakhstan as a PR and communications specialist, and more than 10 years of working as an editor and translator for UNDP, UN Women, UNECE, among others. As a Chevening Fellow, in 2008, she researched media and development with the Center for Studies in Security and Diplomacy at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Item 8: Leveraging financing for gender equality in the Economic Commission for Europe region

Moderator:

Ms. Anna Collins-Falk is the International Coordinator and Senior Advisor at the Swedish Gender Equality Agency. Prior to to this, she was the Lead Policy Specialist on Gender at Sida HQ. She joined Sida after 12 years with the United Nations system, including as Resident Representative of UN Women in Tanzania and UNDP Senior Advisor to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in Cambodia. Over her 35-year career in the field of gender equality and women’s rights, she has held various positions from the United Nations, the Swedish government, academia, and civil society. She possesses in-depth knowledge and experience of international and regional instruments, norms and standards on women’s rights and gender equality, as well as regional and international processes, including the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. She is an experienced trainer, moderator, facilitator, and lecturer in gender, women’s rights/human rights, gender statistics, gender responsive budgeting, violence against women and girls, and gender and climate change. She represents Sweden in high-level intergovernmental UN and EU commissions, the EIGE Expert Forum, and delegations and expert groups on gender equality and violence against women.

Panellists:

Dr. Iryna Postolovska is the Deputy Minister of Social Policy of Ukraine for European Integration. In this role, she is responsible for the EU negotiations process, international relations, and gender equality. Prior to joining the Ministry, she worked as a Senior Health Economist at the World Bank Group in Washington, D.C. She led and supported the development and evaluation of health systems reforms in more than 15 countries with a particular focus on health financing and service delivery. She returned to Ukraine in December 2022 to join the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine as an Advisor to the Minister.

Mr. Arthur Erken is the newly appointed Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia at IOM, with over three decades of experience in international development and migration. Before joining IOM, he had a distinguished 17-year tenure at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). He served as the Director of the Policy and Strategy Division in New York from January 2021 to October 2024 and was instrumental in shaping global policies and strategies that addressed population and development issues. Prior to this, he led the Division of Communications and Strategic Partnerships at UNFPA, for over five years. His UNFPA career also included significant roles as the Regional Director a.i. for the Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Thailand, and as the Representative in Vietnam and Bangladesh. His extensive experience in these regions has equipped him with a global perspective and a deep understanding of health policy, policy advocacy, and coalition building .He started his UN career in 1993 as an Associate Research Advisor at the ICPD Secretariat. Over the years, he has held various positions, including Programme Officer and Deputy Representative in Tanzania, showcasing his dedication to improving global health and development outcomes.

Ms. Diane Elson is Emeritus Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex, England and Visiting Professor at the WiSE Centre for Economic Justice, Glasgow Caledonian University, Scotland. She was Chair of the UK Women’s Budget Group (2010-16) and continues to be an active member of their Policy Advisory Group.  She has also served as a member of the UN Committee for Development Policy (2013-2021), adviser to UN Women and UNDP, and to several international development NGOs. She was Vice President of the International Association for Feminist Economics (2004-6). She has published widely on gender equality, human rights and economic justice. She was awarded the 2016 Leontief Prize for Advancing Frontiers of Economic Thought by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University.

As Vice-President of the European Business Angel Network (EBAN), Ms. Selma Prodanovic is leading Europe's early-stage investing ecosystem and initiated the EBAN Manifesto for Gender Balanced Investing, aiming to triple the number of female angel investors in Europe by 2030. For the last 20 years, she has considerably shaped the startup and angel investing ecosystem in Europe. She is among "Europe's most influential women in the startup and VC space" in 2022 and 2023, with prominent media in over 40 countries covering her expertise and activities. She is the founder of the global SDG platform 1MillionStartups and the Austrian Angel Investors Association (now Invest Austria), while she has launched a dozen successful brands with her boutique advisory Brainswork. Beyond her boardroom decisions, ecosystem leadership, and policy initiatives, she possesses a unique ability to inspire and empower others. For her innovative approach to business and commitment to entrepreneurship and social change, she has received numerous awards such as the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award and EBAN Best Pioneering Investment Initiative.

Ms. Marija Savovska has been the  Executive Director, since 2005, at the Association for the Advancement of Gender Equality, Akcija Zdruzhenska Skopje, one of the leading advocacy organizations in North Macedonia. Under her leadership, the organization has played a critical role in shaping legal and policy frameworks on gender equality and the protection of women’s rights at both national and local levels. The organization also empowers local women’s activists and communities to self-organize and hold local governments accountable. She brings 30 years of experience in the civil society sector, with a deep personal and professional dedication to advancing gender equality, empowering women, and advocating for policy reforms. She served as a Grant Officer and Program Coordinator for the Women’s Program and the East/East–Cross Borders Partnership Program at the Foundation Open Society Institute-Macedonia (1996- 2004). She has extensive experience in developing, managing, and implementing training and research-based advocacy programs focused on gender equality and women’s human rights. She has collaborated with government institutions and numerous international agencies as a trainer and gender specialist. She    has authored and co-authored several studies and publications on topics such as gender mainstreaming, women’s political empowerment, domestic violence, and gender-responsive budgeting.

Item 9: Closing the gender gap: effective policies to deliver on SDGs in the ECE region

Moderator:

Ms. Ruth Zugman Do Coutto has more than 25 years of professional experience in the field of environmental, climate, and chemicals policy and programme development and management, most of it in UNEP. Currently serving as the Chief of the Climate Mitigation Branch in UNEP's Climate Change Division, she leads teams in the areas of energy efficiency, cooling, buildings, cities, climate finance, technology, methane reduction, food waste, transparency, NDCs, and vertical funds. She has previously fulfilled multiple management positions in UNEP, such as manager of the GEF and GCF mitigation portfolios, Division programme and resource mobilization coordinator, and Safer Production Initiative lead. Prior to UNEP, she worked for the Environmental Agency of the State of Sao Paulo (CETESB), Brazil, on accident prevention and preparedness of industrial activities.

Panellists:

Ms. Ulla Saar is a seasoned legal and policy expert with over a decade of experience, currently serving as the Deputy Secretary of Labour at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications in Estonia. Her career is distinguished by a strong emphasis on strategic leadership, guiding multidisciplinary teams, and driving the development and implementation of national and European Union policies. Whether leading the Working Life Development and Pension Policy Department at the Ministry of Social Affairs or managing legal projects in the private sector, she has consistently prioritized the development of cohesive teams that work together to achieve common objectives. Networking and building strong relationships have been key components of her work. From representing Estonia in high-level EU negotiations to liaising with interest groups and non-ministerial institutions, she excels at connecting with diverse stakeholders to drive initiatives forward. Her international experience, including roles with the OSCE and the European Commission, furthered her ability to navigate complex, multicultural environments. She is passionate about creating and implementing policies that improve labor conditions and social welfare, leveraging her strategic leadership, teamwork, and networking skills to make a meaningful impact on both a national and international scale.

Ambassador Katri Viinikka has been serving as the Ambassador for Gender Equality at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland since September 2018. Prior to this, she was the Ambassador of Finland to the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative of Finland to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) from 2015 to 2018. Ambassador Viinikka has held various positions within the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, including Director for United Nations and General Global Affairs at the Political Department, Chief of Cabinet of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and serving at Finnish embassies in Brussels, Berlin, and Bonn. She began her career at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland in 1992.

Ms. Stéphanie Lachat is the Co-Director of the Federal Office for Equality between Women and Men since September 2024. Prior to this role, she served as a Strategic Advisor for the State of Neuchâtel’s Department of Employment and Social Cohesion (January 2021-September 2024). Her career also includes significant experience in the private sector, where she worked for Longines Watch Co. Francillon Ltd. as the International Communications and Heritage Manager where she was responsible for both traditional and digital communication of the brand and the promotion of its heritage. She was an Associate Researcher at the University of St. Gallen (July 2010- June 2013), where she completed her doctoral thesis in economic and social sciences, titled “Workers, housewives, mothers: a century of articulation of private and professional lives in the Swiss watch industry (1870-1970).” Earlier in her career, she served as the Director of the Memories of Here Foundation (October 1999-August 2003), where she was instrumental in the creation, installation, and development of the Bernese Jura Research and Documentation Center, now recognized as a center of expertise in regional history.

Mr. Nabil Gangi, FAO Deputy Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, took office in March 2019. He has 20 years of experience with the United Nations in many different areas. He has held the same post in FAO’s Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa in Cairo. Prior to that, he headed the Organization’s Shared Services Centre in Budapest, providing support to FAO’s backbone operations, including human resources, financial servicing, and asset and travel management. During his career with FAO, he assumed senior-level positions in its headquarters in Rome, managed staff benefits, pensions, human resources, and social security for Rome-based UN agencies. Prior to joining the United Nations, he held senior management positions with multilateral and non-governmental organizations, managing programmes and projects funded by the European Union and the United States Agency for International Development.

Ms. Caitlin Kraft-Buchman is the CEO/Founder of Women at the Table, a gender equality and systems change CSO based in Switzerland, and Co-Founder/Leader of the <A+> Alliance for Inclusive Algorithms, a global multidisciplinary coalition prototyping the future of artificial intelligence and automated decision-making to accelerate gender equality with technology and innovation. She co-chaired the Expert Group for the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67) in 2023 and leads the <AI & Equality> Human Rights Toolbox initiative. Women at the Table are a leader of the f<a+i>r feminist AI research Network and serve as Civil Society lead for the World Benchmarking Alliance's Collective Impact Coalition for Ethical AI. She is also a co-founder of the International Gender Champions (IGC) and serves on various advisory boards and working groups related to AI, gender equality, and technology.

Item 10: Pathways to accelerate progress in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and its contribution towards gender equality halfway to the 2030 agenda for sustainable development

Moderator:

Ms. Belén Sanz has more than 20 years of experience in development policies focusing on gender equality and women's rights. She currently serves as UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia. Prior to this role, she served as UN Women Representative in Mexico (2017-2024), where she led flagship initiatives to advance gender equality such as the historic Generation Equality Forum, the Global Alliance for Care, and the Spotlight Initiative to end femicide. She served as UN Women Representative in Colombia, where she accompanied the historic peace process in Colombia (2013-2017), supporting women's participation and promoting a gender-sensitive approach to peacebuilding. She was the Resident Coordinator a.i. of the United Nations in Colombia (February to August 2016). She also served as the First Evaluation Director at UNIFEM, and later UN Women, in New York evaluating policies and programs and developing strategies in various regions, including consolidating evaluation as a strategic function for accountability, learning, and evidence-based policy-making. She was also the Chair of the United Nations Evaluation Group, promoting a human rights and gender approach in the UN system evaluation, earning her numerous awards. Prior to joining the UN, she was Head of Development Policy Evaluation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Spain, where she led the development of the Evaluation System for Spanish cooperation and previously served as an Advisor on gender programs and policies. She has also served as a speaker and lecturer at various academic institutions and international forums focusing on international cooperation, public policy evaluation, human rights and gender equality policies.

Panellists:

Ambassador Geeta Rao Gupta is the fourth Ambassador-at-Large for the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues at the U.S. Department of State and the first woman of color to hold the position. She served as Senior Fellow at the United Nations Foundation and Senior Advisor to Co-impact, a global collaborative philanthropy for systems change. She served as Deputy Executive Director of Programmes at UNICEF (2012-2016) and prior to that as a Senior Fellow at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She also served as President of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) for more than a decade. She has also chaired numerous boards including the Global Advisory Board of Women Lift Health, an initiative to promote women’s leadership in global health and served as a member of WHO’s Independent Oversight and Advisory Committee for Health Emergencies, the Board of UBS Optimus Foundation and the Advisory Board of Merck for Mothers. She also served as a Commissioner for the Lancet-SIGHT Commission on Health, Gender Equality and Peace. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including InterAction’s Julia Taft Award for Outstanding Leadership, Harvard University’s Anne Roe Award and Washington Business Journal’s “Women Who Mean Business” Award.

Ms. Sidsel Bleken is a seasoned Norwegian diplomat currently serving as the Ambassador for Women’s Rights and Gender Equality at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a role she has held since 2020. Prior to this, she was the Ambassador to Dhaka, Bangladesh, from 2016 to 2020. From 2012 to 2016, she served as a Department Director in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before that, she was a Senior Adviser in the Ministry (2011-2012). Her earlier diplomatic experience includes serving as a Counselor at the Embassy in Warsaw (2006-2011). She has been associated with the foreign service since 1999. Her extensive experience and dedication to promoting gender equality and women’s rights highlight her commitment to advancing important global issues.

Ambassador Kire Ilioski currently leads the Directorate for Multilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade of North Macedonia. Prior to this appointment, he served as Special Adviser to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also a visiting professor at the Geneva School of Diplomacy in Switzerland. A notable highlight of Ambassador Ilioski's distinguished diplomatic career was his role as Director (2019) and Deputy Executive Secretary of UNECE, from January 2020 until March 2021. As a career diplomat, he has engaged with multilateral issues at various points throughout his career. His past positions include Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department for NATO, Political and Security Cooperation; Head of the Department for Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and Partnership for Peace (PFP); Head of the Department for Regional Initiatives and Security; and Head of the Department for Security of Classified Information. He has also served as Deputy Head of the Minister's Office. From 2005 to 2007, he was Minister-Councilor and Acting Ambassador at the Embassy of Macedonia in Budapest, Hungary, while concurrently working to develop bilateral relations with Malaysia and Indonesia. He was appointed Minister Plenipotentiary and served as Acting Ambassador at the Macedonian Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, from 2007 to 2008 and was aslo Minister Plenipotentiary and Acting Ambassador to the State of Israel. From April 2008 to 2011, he was Head of the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Macedonia to NATO in Brussels, and Macedonian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. In earlier roles, he served as Director for International Law at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Macedonia and in January 2011, he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sweden and Finland. From February 2014 to 2018, he served as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Macedonia to the United Nations, OSCE, and other international organizations based in Vienna. He was the first Macedonian Governor representing the Eastern European group on the IAEA Board of Governors, from October 2014 to September 2016.

Ms. Florence Bauer is UNFPA’s Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, appointed in July 2022. Throughout her 30-year career, she has been a strong advocate for positioning children’s and women’s rights on the political agenda and for promoting innovative approaches to reduce inequalities. She has spearheaded programmes focusing on early childhood development; mother, child, and adolescent health and mental health; the prevention of domestic and community violence; and sexuality education for the prevention of early pregnancy and social protection. She was previously with UNICEF, where she held senior positions advocating for children’s rights in complex political contexts, most recently as UNICEF Representative in Brazil (2017-2022), Argentina (2014-2017) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (2009-2014). Previous assignments also included work for civil society and the private sector.

Carola Gunnarsson is a dedicated member of the Swedish Centre Party and currently serves as a Councillor of Sala Municipality, a position she has held since 2002, with a previous term from 1982 to 1991. She is also the Vice President of UCLG, Special Envoy for Freedom, Solidarity, and Fighting Violence against Political Leaders, and the International Spokesperson for CEMR. Her past roles include President of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) in 2022, Vice President of SALAR from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2022, and a member of its Board and Executive Committee from 2007 to 2023. Carola studied Political Science and Management at the University of Stockholm. She lives in the countryside of Sala, about 120 kilometers northwest of Stockholm, where she co-owns a 170-hectare farm with her brother and sister-in-law, growing cereals and hay. Additionally, she is the Chairperson of the Swedish Handicraft organization in the county of Västmanland.