Germany and France are more committed than ever before to equality between women and men, as well as to protecting and strengthening women’s rights. Equal rights are still not a reality today on 8 March 2019, International Women’s Day. The rights of women are being violated around the world each and every day. Unfortunately, women all too often have to contend with unequal access to education, with sexual and domestic violence and obstacles to achieving their full potential. Women still do not participate in political processes on an equal footing. We cannot and will not close our eyes to this reality. We must work every day, around the world and at all levels, to promote equal rights and the application of all human rights for women and girls.

This is why Germany and France are therefore joining forces, particularly in the UN Security Council, to enhance women’s political participation in peace processes and to protect them from sexual violence in conflicts. After all, we will not be able to achieve lasting peace without women. Infringements of their rights will not cease without equal opportunities and the active participation of women in political, economic and social life.

On today’s International Women’s Day, we pay tribute to all those women, girls, men and boys and civil society organisations that are committed to promoting women’s rights around the world (the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law presented each year was awarded to a number of them), often under difficult conditions and far from the media spotlight. They all deserve our profound respect!