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The Prime Minister's address highlighted two very important development cooperation issues: the UN's new post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals and the need to eliminate gender discrimination.
The Prime Minister mentioned that during the Latvian Presidency all global negotiations about the world's future over the next 15 years have reached a decisive stage, "Never before in world history have so many partners been involved in drafting a development document and so many views heard from around the world. We have a lot of work to do. We want to fully eliminate poverty, ensure environmental sustainability, create an inclusive global economy and achieve gender equality and education for all – these are just some of the 17 sustainable development goals".
To implement the objectives, said Laimdota Straujuma, action and mutual cooperation are of vital importance, "Immediate action is needed to address the new global challenges, and migration in particular. Cooperation is needed among all parties – the migrants' countries of origin, transit countries and recipient countries. It is unacceptable that people are forced to leave their homeland and risk their lives in the hope of decent living conditions and the observance of fundamental rights".
Laimdota Straujuma emphasised that development cooperation is a policy that can directly address the economic, social, political and environmental causes of forced and illegal migration; development cooperation policy has the tools to raise the standard of living and stabilise the political situation and to create jobs and decent living standards for every resident of the country.
According to the Prime Minister, sharing experience of reform is an important element of the development cooperation implemented by Latvia.
In her address, the Prime Minister devoted special attention to the issue of gender equality, "Women's and girls' rights are human rights, but they are still violated in many parts of the world. Data show that 35% of women worldwide have suffered a physical or sexual assault. If nothing changes in current efforts, it would take at least 80 years to achieve gender equality globally. That is why Latvia, as one of the global leaders in the field of gender equality, has set women's and girls' rights and gender equality as an important priority of its Presidency. Every girl in the world should have the opportunity to become Prime Minister, if she so wishes".
The Prime Minister mentioned that there are currently discriminatory laws against women in 140 countries, and that it is therefore necessary to provide them with legitimate and real opportunities to use their potential. According to UN forecasts, providing the same number of jobs for women and men would result in GDP growth of 15% in developing countries.
Laimdota Straujuma invited the participants to attend the debate organised on 4 June by the Latvian Presidency on concrete solutions to strengthen economic opportunities for women in Central Asia.
