Statement of the UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Nathalie Ndongo-Seh, at the Screening of 'Women on the Frontline' and Discussions on Gender-Based Violence and UN75 with Waterford Kamhlaba

Teachers, students at Waterford Kamhlaba,

Colleagues, Ladies and gentlemen,

A very good afternoon to you all, the hope and the future of our beautiful Kingdom of Eswatini. It is with great pleasure that I address you today, on behalf of the United Nations in Eswatini and  ahead of the screening of ‘Women on the Frontline’ and our UN75 dialogue. The United Nations needs to hear from you more than ever before: your thoughts, concerns, brilliant ideas and recommendations are needed to shape a better future for the world.

This year, the UN is marking its 75th anniversary at a time when the world has been disrupted and deeply shaken by COVID-19, affecting over one billion learners, including yourselves. We are reminded of the need to show resilience, adaptability, creativity, and fight for a brighter future for our young people and vulnerable populations: it starts with you and me.

Will we emerge from this global crisis stronger and ready to build for a better future together? Will we stand closer together as a human family, armed with the knowledge and the courage to recover better for a better world?

The UN Secretary-General, Mr Antonio Guterres, declared 2020 as the year of conversations and dialogues to create a better future for all; one in which all views are taken into consideration. Your views are critical and will be presented to world leaders and senior UN officials at the official commemoration of the 75th  Anniversary by the United Nations in September 2020, where the Kingdom of Eswatini will serve as  Vice-President in the General Assembly. More than ever before, we would be   pleased, anxious and grateful to hear from you, our nation’s young people.

As you may know, in 2015, world leaders signed the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development: a roadmap for peace and prosperity for all people and the planet. (Please raise your hand digitally if you have heard of the Sustainable Development Goals?)

At the heart of Agenda 2030 are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action. Particularly important to our today’s conversation is SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.

With only ten years remaining to achieve the SDGs, we still have a long way to go. The world risks leaving behind the girls, women, mothers and sisters of today and tomorrow; a risk which, unfortunately, continues to grow due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Eswatini, 87 of every 1,000 teenage girls are falling pregnant. Early teenage pregnancy is the leading cause of girl teens dropping out of school nationwide and brings with it many health risks such as pregnancy and birth complications. One girl dropping out of school due to unintended pregnancy is one too many.

Our sisters living in poverty are more vulnerable to early teenage pregnancy, with 127 out of 1,000 girls giving birth before the age of 18. We cannot forget that our strong sisters and mothers living with disabilities face stigma, discrimination and access and opportunities limitations every day.

1 in 3 Swazi girls experience sexual violence before the age of 18, while nearly half of Swazi women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime. Violence has far-reaching consequences for families and societies, affecting both physical and mental health: from domestic violence to trafficking, genital mutilation, femicide and child marriage, it is clear that we need to pay closer attention to the rights of women around the world.

Women are on the frontline in so many ways; not only as mothers,  caretakers and bread-winners at home; community leaders; peacekeepers in war zones, fighter-pilots and soldiers, but also as nurses, doctors, healthcare and essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Women and girls fight on the frontlines for their communities and families, daring to start their own businesses, to teach and empower children, care for the elderly, run farms, provide livelihoods for their families and serve with strength, courage, tenacity and dignity. Let us not allow the girls and women of today and tomorrow to be left behind as the world recovers from COVID-19. Let us locate and expose inequalities, advocate that they  no longer exist, and turn them into opportunities.

The world will get through the crisis if we stand together.

The UN remains dedicated to empowering women and advancing gender equality. We want girls and women in Eswatini to fearlessly follow their dreams, whilst knowing that they are heard and they hold the same rights as any person in the Kingdom of Eswatini.

Thank you for being a part of this important conversation. I look forward to hearing from you today and beyond.

I thank you.