Press Releases

1. Ms. KAMIKAWA Yoko, Minister for Foreign Affairs delivered a video message at the Forum. The following is a summary of the message.
   • (1) I have been working as a WPL Ambassador since 2016 and I am grateful for the results of our work on the “WPL Summit 2019” held in Japan. The WPL Summit 2019 Outcome Declaration notes that promoting women’s rights and enhancing women’s participation in public life contributes to advancement of the world. It also recognizes the importance of bringing more women's perspectives to all policies, including the construction of a disaster resilient society.
   • (2) I am working hard on the promotion of Women, Peace and Security, or WPS. The concept of WPS is that we have a better chance to achieve sustained peace when women hold leadership positions and actively participate in conflict resolution, reconstruction, and peacebuilding, while working on protecting and helping women and girls. This notion corresponds to the WPL Summit 2019 Outcome Declaration.
   • (3) Today’s Forum will cover themes such as “Digital Technology and Generative AI” and “The Future of Cities.” The perspectives of the “WPL Summit 2019” and WPS are important for these themes as well. For example, Due to climate change, one of the sub-themes of “The Future of Cities,” we are witnessing an increasing number of natural disasters in many parts of the world. The concept of WPS can also apply to disaster risk reduction and disaster response.
   • (4) I expect that this forum will be an occasion for discussion with such perspectives in mind. I hope this forum will also serve as an opportunity to further promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
2. The Forum main participants are listed below.
   -H.E. Ms. Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland
   -H.E. Mr. Bjarni Benediktsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland
   -Ms. Delphine O, Ambassador at Large, Gender Equality, France

[Reference]
Video message scripts in English (PDF) and Japanese (provisional translation) (PDF)