STATEMENT BY
THE HONOURABLE DATUK SERI RINA BINTI MOHD HARUN
MINISTER OF WOMEN, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOURTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON WOMEN
NEW YORK, 1 OCTOBER 2020
Mr. President,
Allow me to begin by congratulating you on your recent appointment as the President of the General Assembly.
2. Malaysia reaffirms our commitment to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Acknowledging the importance of accelerating progress towards the realization of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030, Malaysia is committed to further improve from the current Gender Gap Index score of 0.711 to 0.75 in a period of five years. For this to be actualised, the Malaysian government is adopting a-whole-of-society-approach that includes the involvement of not only the government but also civil society organisations, private sector, communities and individuals.
3. As many countries enter recovery phase, governments worldwide have been consolidating resources to mitigate the damages caused by this pandemic. In Malaysia, stimulus packages have been tailored to be more gender-responsive to incorporate assistance to ease women’s burden in terms of childcare, work-life balance and financial aids for women with specific needs, among others. These stimulus packages have allowed those effected to weather through difficult times and the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. In embracing the new normal, the use of technology is now more pertinent than ever in ensuring business continuity. Under Malaysia’s economic recovery programme, USD6 million has been allocated for the Global Online Workforce programme to train Malaysians to earn income in the global digital economy. For women, this would mean greater opportunity for exposure to current emerging jobs and benefit from earning profitable additional income.
5. Malaysia’s current collaboration with UNDP and UNFPA is looking at finding innovative solutions to address loss of opportunities for women due to unpaid care, especially during this crisis. The findings are hoped to be used for policy recommendation to address care work in Malaysia. The Government hopes to also continue its current collaboration with UN bodies and agencies in implementing gender mainstreaming effectively.
6. Malaysia looks seriously at addressing the sad truth of violence and discrimination against women and girls. The drafting of a sexual harassment bill is currently underway with plans for it to be tabled in Parliament soon. Following this, will be the drafting of a bill on gender equality.
7. The COVID-19 pandemic has not bent our commitment. In fact, it has made us more resolved in ensuring the agenda for women and girls remain the priority of the Malaysian government. Thank you.