Being young is fun. It can be rewarding time of life, but it can also be hard. It is maybe even harder to be a girl or a young woman. Girls and young women face challenges in their life which exist because of their gender. Without the right of deciding about ones own body or ones own future, participation in society and politics seems shallow.
-Anna Ranki, UN General Assembly 2008

Tänään on tasa-arvon päivä. Jaamme Narinkkatorilla naisen vaalieuroja, sillä naisen vaalieurokin on vain 80 senttiä.

Tutkimuksen mukaan naiset saavat tosiaan keskimäärin 20% vähemmän vaalirahaa, kuin miehet. Tämä fakta kerrotaan viime syksynä julkaistussa Kamppailu vallasta – eduskuntavaalikampanjat 1945–2015 -tutkimuksessa. Mitä sillä on väliä, voisi joku kysyä. Vaalikampanjat maksavat paljon rahaa, varsinkin Helsingissä ja jos kaikki pitää maksaa omasta pussista samalla kuin työstäkin ansaittu euro on vain se 80 senttiä verrattuna miehiin…. Aika epäreilu asetelma. Minulla ei ole tosin itsellä varaa valittaa, olen saanut kerättyä mikrolahjoituksia ja jonkin verran muutakin pientä tukea kampanjaani. Olen siitä erittäin iloinen.

Tänään haluan jakaa teille puheeni vuodelta 2008 YK:n yleiskokouksesta. Puhuin silloin naisten ja tyttöjen aseman parantamisesta maailmassa. Mukana on edelleen toteutettavaksi kelpaavia ehdotuksia meille Helsinkiin, Suomeen ja globaalistikin. Ideat saa otta vapaasti käyttöön.

Statement by Finland –Anna Ranki

Honourable Chair,
Finland fully associates itself with the statement made earlier by France on behalf of the European Union.

Honourable Chair,
It is an honour for me to address this committee as a youth representative. Participation of the youth, genuine participation, is a key factor for development.

Childhood and youth are stages of life laying the foundations for adulthood. Supporting growth and development into responsible citizenship and adulthood is the responsibility of the whole society and world.

Children and young people have the right to participate in deciding how the society and the world should be developed, we also have the right of access to the society’s joint resources. Young people are one of the most marginalised groups in the world. Youth unemployment, poverty, environmental problems, HIV/AIDS and other health problems have vast impact especially in the group of young people. No one is without a role in the well-being of children and young people – we all share responsibility.

Distinguished delegates
Being young is fun. It can be rewarding time of life, but it can also be hard. It is maybe even harder to be a girl or a young woman. Girls and young women face challenges in their life which exist because of their gender. Without the right of deciding about ones own body or ones own future, participation in society and politics seems shallow. Violence is still perpetrated against girls and young women worldwide. Physical and sexual abuse affects millions of girls and women. Violence against women is a violation of women’s human rights and we all have a responsibility in addressing and preventing it. Governments must cooperate at international level and enforce legislation protecting girls and young women from all forms of violence. All member states need to make National Action Programmes to prevent intimate partner and domestic violence. We should also encourage men to take up their domestic and family responsibilities. It is essential to increasingly engage men in the efforts to eliminate violence against women. Not only do we need to hold offenders accountable and help them with treatment and prevention programmes, but we also need to think about how to enhance positive male role models and engagement in both prevention and advocacy.

Distinguished delegates
As the Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security stipulates, all parties to armed conflict must take special measures to protect women and girls from gender-based violence, particularly rape and other forms of sexual abuse. Every member state should have a National Action Plan and follow, valuate and update it frequently. That being said, it is my pleasure to announce that Finland has very recently adopted its national action plan.
Five million women aged 15-19 have abortions every year, 40 per cent of which are performed under unsafe conditions. Other studies have shown that the same age group of young women is vastly unaware of AIDS-related issues. The most significant way of protecting people from unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, is proper information about sexuality, including sexual education, reproductive health and social services. Universal and equal access to primary education, both formal and non-formal, for everyone is extremely important for the development. We must pay special attention on girls and disabled persons right to education. Still 65 million girls still remain out of school worldwide. Educating girls is particularly important, because an uneducated mother transfers the model of non-education to her own children. In working life girls must have equal access to all employment opportunities. We should promote girls participation in the traditionally male-dominated sectors and reduce the employment rate gap between young women and men.

In almost all regions, young women fare worse than young men in indicators of labour market status.

Distinguished delegates, dear friends
Stereotyping and discrimination limit the full participation of girls and young women in society, including civil society activities. Young people themselves must be made aware of the harmful impact of gender barriers imposed by cultural beliefs, perceived roles and traditional practices so that they can practice equality.

Governments, international and non-governmental organizations in particular youth organizations, must be supported in their efforts to promote the equality and participation of girls in society.

Genuine participation and universal education leads to improvement of health and employment and stability in society. Women’s rights have been discussed for centuries. It is important to remember that human rights apply to us all equally.

It is a well established fact that no sustainable development exists without the participation of girls and women. It is also known that the most successful societies in the world have highly educated women and well balanced equality programmes. Without gender parity, the goals of the Millennium Declaration and World Programme of Action for Youth will not be achieved or sustained.

Half of the world’s population is girls and women. They deserve equal treatment.
Thank you