High Level Opening: 2nd OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference

The 2nd OSCE Gender Equality Review Conference was opened by H.E. Sophie Karmasin, Austrian Federal Minister for Families and Youth, Katarzyna Gardapkhadze, First Deputy Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), Ambassador Paul Bekkers, Director of the Office of Secretary General, OSCE Secretariat followed by the video addresses from the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada and Lakshmi Puri, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director UN Women. The discussion continued with Pirkko Hämäläinen, Under-Secretary of State, Internal and External Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finland - Ambassador Mara Marinaki, EU Principal Advisor on Gender and UNSCR 1325/Women, Peace and Security - Senator Ekaterina Lakhova, President, Union of Women of Russia, Russian Federation - The Honourable Dr. Hedy Fry, Special Representative on Gender Issues of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly - Adelheid Meinzolt, Co-ordinator of the Women and Gender Working Group of the Civic Solidarity Platform, and was moderated by Bethany Bell, BBC Foreign Correspondent based in Vienna, 12 June 2017.