This high-level event on the importance of gender equality in ensuring sustainable development will take place on 2 March 2015 in Riga. The conference will be opened by Ms Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, Foreign Ministry's Parliamentary State Secretary for EU Affairs, Ms Ināra Mūrniece, Speaker of the Saeima, the Parliament of Latvia, Mr Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Ms Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, former President of Latvia and Mr Moez Doraid, Director of Coordination Division of UN Women.

Three panel discussions organised during the event will seek suitable solutions regarding equal rights for women and women's empowerment in the labour market. They will also analyse examples of best practice with respect to women’s participation in the private sector and their impact on environmental, social and economic development. The discussions will focus especially on women's rights and gender equality in the context of the post-2015 global development goals.

Gender equality is one of the Latvian Presidency’s main priorities in the EU development cooperation agenda.

The target audience of the event are the decision-makers and experts working on post-2015 development framework, issues related to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action issues, gender equality, women’s rights and various other development areas, including economic policy, along with civil society and private sector representatives.

The conference is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the European Commission.

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Live stream will be available here: www.eu2015.lv

Find out more about the European Year for Development in the official website.