I call to order the 9th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women at its 68th Session. I am pleased to welcome you to this interactive dialogue with youth representatives on the priority theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective.”

Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, this year’s theme “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective” provides young people with a unique opportunity to examine the many dimensions of inequality which influence how young people, and in particular, young women and girls, in all their diversity, experience poverty.

If current trends, over 340 million women and girls, an estimated 8% of the world’s female population will live in extreme poverty by 2030. Furthermore, climate change is poised to exacerbate these numbers, potentially pushing up to 158.3 million more women and girls into poverty, surpassing the total number of men and boys affected by a significant margin. These figures not only highlight the scales of the challenge, but the disproportionate impact of the global crisis on women and girls. It’s important to examine poverty from a gender perspective, so that we can have a complete understanding of hierarchies of economic, political, and social power, and actions required to remove barriers.

Therefore, to address these multifaceted issues, an integrated policy approach is essential. This interactive dialogue is an opportunity for youth representatives from Member States to engage in the dialogue and discussion with a broad range of stakeholders.
We have five (5) youth representatives from India, Ukraine, Tunisia, Turkey, and Brazil to kick off the discussion after which the floor will be open for dialogue.

I am pleased to now welcome our panelists to this dialogue