On 22 March 2022, the Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica, delivered an opening address for a high-level panel, “The impact on women and girls of the unjustified invasion of Ukraine”, on the sidelines of the 66th session of the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women. The discussion had been organised by Latvia together with Ukraine, Canada and the Netherlands.
“Latvia supports and will continue supporting the Ukrainians who are fleeing the war, as well as providing assistance to civilians who remain in Ukraine. Latvia is offering refuge to, and accommodating thousands of Ukrainian people, and Latvian families are opening their homes to Ukrainian refugees,” the Parliamentary Secretary said.
About 12 million people in Ukraine are in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance. More than 3 million Ukrainian people have already been forced to flee their country driven by hostilities triggered by Russia, the absolute majority of them being women, children and the elderly.
Latvia is providing all possible political and practical support for Ukraine, Zanda Kalniņa-Lukaševica underlined. The Foreign Ministry’s Parliamentary Secretary once again strongly condemned the unprovoked and unjustified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, an act that violates all the fundamental principles of international law. Ukraine has Latvia’s support for its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
At the opening of the event, the Parliamentary Secretary noted: “For decades to come, Ukrainian women and girls will feel the impact and consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Russia is using aggressive and especially brutal tactics in warfare, with total disregard for human life and humanitarian values. In the weeks since Russia started war against Ukraine, millions of Ukrainian women have been forced to flee their home. They have also been subject to the risks of gender-based violence. We must support Ukrainians in all possible ways so that they can return to their homes after the war, families can be unified and they can raise their children in a peaceful environment.”
The discussed raised a vast range of issues – support for women’s rights defenders, inclusion of women in political dialogues and peace negotiations, prevention of gender-based violence, and protection of minority rights.
Background information
On 14 September 2020, in New York, Latvia was elected to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women for the period until 2025. The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women was established on 21 June 1946 and it is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). The UNCSW is the principal global intergovernmental body dedicated to the identification and understanding of various aspects of women’s lives across the globe and creating global standards for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A representative of Latvia has currently been elected to the Commission’s Bureau and holds the post of Vice-President.