Good morning,

The power of 4 billion is the headline of this OECD Global Forum.  And power - there is a lot of - when we speak of women and girls and the youth of today. For far too long we have struggled and continue to struggle to remove the barriers preventing the transformation of that power into social and economic growth and gains, and a more just and equal world for all.

Perhaps, what has been lacking was a common vision? The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides that common vision.  So now the question is how do we ensure our vision becomes a reality?

It is almost a month ago that we celebrated International Women's Day. A day where we look back through history, evaluate the status and position of women around the world today and discuss the challenges and opportunities, as well as the demands and hopes for the future. It is about how we together; countries, regions, women and men, can fight for greater gender equality globally.

The personal meaning and importance of International Women's Day of course varies depending on where you are in the world. For us in Denmark, the day is more about recognizing and celebrating the progress that has been achieved, rather than fighting for the recognition of basic human rights.  In Denmark as well as many of the other OECD countries, the focus on International Women’s Day is about ensuring continued progress towards even greater gender equality which includes issues such as; equal pay and women in leadership or lack thereof and worryingly, still violence against women.

However, in still too many parts of the world, the 8th of March has a completely different meaning – it IS about fundamental human rights issues.  It is about a girl having the same opportunity to survive and thrive as a boy. That she can access education and healthcare. That she can choose if and when and with whom she wants to marry and have children. It is about universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights. And that she can live her life free of violence; and that she can be financially independent and can own her own land.

Lack of equality on a global scale means, that;

• Every day 39,000 girls are forced into marriage.
• That 49 countries still lack laws that protect women from domestic violence. 
• That only 23.7% of world parliamentarians are women, and only 8% are business leaders. 
• That 95% of the world’s heads of state are men.
• And that although women work 2/3 of the world's workable hours, they earn only 1/10 of the world's income.

So regardless of what International Women’s Day means for you personally, we cannot deny that globally there is still a long road to be travelled; from securing women and girls’ fundamental human rights to recognizing and benefiting, socially and economically, from the empowerment of women and girls.

I have said repeatedly, equality is, according to my conviction, the single most important thing we can strive for to improve our world. Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls will create some of the greatest opportunities of our time.

Greater gender equality in a country is linked to a higher level of education and better health, higher per capita income, stronger international competitiveness and more inclusive and rapid economic growth.  An often-quoted number is the 28 trillion USD that would be added to the world’s annual GDP by 2025 if women had the same opportunities and rights as men. 

Gender equality and human rights are recognized as central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Gender equality is a goal in its own right and is seen as an accelerator for progress across the entire Agenda.  In the view of UN Women’s, Executive Director; ‘the adoption of the Agenda in 2015 was a global victory for gender equality’. 

Another factor that is fundamental to having any chance of achieving the global goals is the involvement and leadership of young people in the implementation, monitoring and accountability of them.

Today, roughly one quarter of the world’s population is between 10-24 years old – that’s an unprecedented 1.8 billion young people.  That presents both an enormous potential and an enormous challenge.

Harnessing the potential of this large group will have a crucial impact on the sustainable development of our world.  If we don’t harness that potential, the result for the individual, the country and the world can be devastating. Disillusion, frustration and lack of hope for one’s future can lead to further social instability and even greater migration.

We are already witnessing the highest levels of youth unemployment in history – an estimated 358 million young people around the world are currently not in education, employment or training - that is more than the population of the USA and Canada combined.

At the same time there is increasing concern over talent scarcity.  The youth population simply doesn’t have the knowledge, skills and experience to meet the demands of the current labor market. And there are not enough jobs for those that do.

Youth has a central role to play. They have a duty to challenge the status quo and the strategies of today’s leaders. And there is no doubt that what young people have to offer is needed. And we need to ensure that current leaders and decision-makers open the door to the youth of today and work on closing the generation gap – they are, after all the leaders of tomorrow.

The SDGs express the world’s promise to make the strongest possible effort to end poverty, protect the environment, fight inequality, promote peaceful and inclusive societies, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels – and that is to name just a few of the goals. 

The universal nature of the Agenda is its strength; it applies to all countries, all peoples and all segments of society and it acknowledges the interconnection of the global challenges facing the world, and the gaps that exist between countries and within countries. A further strength was setting of a 15 year time-frame which creates a sense of urgency and a strong push for concerted action. 

NO one knew when the goals were set, how they could be achieved.  But, once the goals were set, the time to find solutions started ticking.

We are now more than 2 years into the life of the Agenda and how far have we come?  I think that the majority would answer ‘not far enough’ or that ‘progress is lagging’.

We must ensure that the momentum and the will to act that led to the adoption of the global goals does not fade but, grows in strength and purpose. 

By now, I would hope:

• That we have more and better disaggregated data and more uniform access to that data.  Data that can be used when engaging decision-makers to accelerate efforts and in the development of policies, programs and strategies and for measuring change.
• That countries have a clear understanding, also backed up by data, of where they stand in relation to the 17 global goals.
• That governments and civil society’s leadership is felt as being strong and authentic.
• I would hope that a gender and youth lens is being applied to the implementation of the SDGs and that all countries are looking at their policies and strategies for social and economic growth through an SDG lens. 
• That governments are working to mobilize sufficient resources to implement and monitor progress. And are ready to stand accountable to their commitments.
• That the involvement and investment of the private sector is seen as a key driver of development like never before – and that it’s ok for businesses to do well, while at the same time doing good.
• And I would hope that new and innovative partnerships across continents, regions and countries and between the public and private sectors are emerging and new solutions to persisting global challenges are being designed.  We need to work together like never before.
• I would hope that wider sharing and exchange of knowledge and best-practices is occurring globally – establishing what is and what isn’t working and what has scalability potential.
• And that full advantage is being taken of the conveying power of organizations that gather countries across regions, for example the OECD, to strengthen unity and action toward achieving the 2030 Agenda.
• I would also hope that civil society’s involvement and influence in implementing and monitoring of the SDGs to ensure no-one is left behind continues to grow in strength and that they continue to hold governments accountable.

The challenge of measuring progress in our implementation efforts is extremely complex and important, as the success of the Agenda is dependent on our ability to make it happen.

The OECD is a powerhouse with dedicated experts who provide important data, information and evidence based analysis. We all know how difficult it is to move forward without knowing our starting point and without disaggregated and reliable data it is impossible to guide policymaking. And here the OECD has a key role to play and can be an extremely effective partner. 

For far too long, decisions have been made and policies shaped without the involvement of women and youth. We know that the most effective ways to accelerate economic development, reduce poverty and build sustainable societies around the world is to empower women and girls and draw on the immense potential of the largest youth generation ever.

Empowering women and youth is fundamental to delivering on the promise of the 2030 Agenda.  I would like to urge the OECD to use its platform and expertise to help ensure that no recommendation, no policy guidance is developed without taking into account the outcomes for women and youth and the gains that can be derived from their empowerment.

Now it is up to each and every one of us - in the individual role that we have - to strive toward effective and meaningful implementation of the ambitious 2030 Agenda. And today’s sessions are all geared toward ‘how?’ and they also give us the chance to hear and be inspired by a wide and varied group of experts and influencers.  I’m very much looking forward to the next session where a person I’ve had the opportunity to work with and know shares my strong belief in the power of women and youth – Katja Iversen, CEO Women Deliver will be one of the esteemed panelists. 

The last expression of hope I would like to leave you with; is that this Global Forum will take us one more step toward breaking down the barriers that are preventing the full power of 4 billion from being the agents of change we all know they are.

Thank you.