The President of the Republic of Slovenia, Nataša Pirc Musar, is attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, along with the events taking place on its sidelines.

President Pirc Musar began her activities in New York by attending the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. The participants were welcomed first by the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, and the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, who highlighted the burden carried out by the organisation as a forum for addressing international peace and security issues, as well as other matters, such as development and, more recently, scientific and technological challenges.

President Pirc Musar then participated in an event marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which aimed to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

In her address, the President emphasised that, despite the positive impact of the Beijing Declaration, progress on gender equality has been uneven and remains at risk. She singled out sexual violence, economic inequality and the political underrepresentation of women as the most pressing challenges.

President Pirc Musar stressed that achieving peace requires the inclusion of women, particularly at a time when wars are increasing and women and children are among the main victims. She called for UN leadership and said that it was high time to reflect the diversity. “After 80 years, the United Nations must lead by example. We cannot afford to miss yet another chance to appoint the first woman Secretary-General. Nor can we afford to move forward into a future where only 6% of General Assembly presidents have been women,” she emphasised. She concluded with a call to invest in women’s leadership and to ensure that every girl can live a life of opportunity.

Later in the day, the President participated in an event entitled “Social Participation as a Driver of Health Equity and Resilient Societies”, organised by Slovenia in cooperation with the World Health Organization on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. The Slovenian President chaired the debate, which focused on the importance of actively involving individuals and communities in shaping the policies and services that affect their health and lives.

President Pirc Musar emphasized that building more resilient health systems requires the involvement of civil society, experts, and communities. In her address, she presented four successful Slovenian initiatives: preventing the spread of HIV among vulnerable groups, increasing male participation in the national colorectal cancer screening program, providing timely psychological support after the 2023 floods, and ensuring the active involvement of young people in shaping health policies. Slovenia, she said, has shown through these experiences that institutionalized social participation builds trust, improves outcomes and fosters innovation. The President also highlighted the importance of international cooperation, expressing her belief that good practices could inspire and guide efforts worldwide.

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