Thank you, Mr. Chair.
First of all, I just want to say thank you so much to the leaders, who we are celebrating today. Thank you for being here. Thank you for sharing your words with us.
I'm a mother of a young girl, and the work that you have done just warms my heart and makes me think about the world that I want for my daughter. The work that you have done to make this a better world for my daughter and for all women and girls around the world is vitally important.
I'm inspired by your resilience and I'm inspired by your bravery as you stand on the front line fighting for equality in India, in Ukraine and in Burkina Faso.
I sit as the foreign affairs critic for the New Democratic Party, but we all know in this committee, in the foreign affairs committee, in the House of Commons, that women's rights are under attack around the world. We are witnessing the rollback and the reversal of hard-won gains on gender equality across the globe.
Democratic institutions are facing grave threats, and civic spaces continue to narrow. There is a rise in gender-based violence, including online harassment and reduced access to sexual and reproductive health rights. This is happening in countries like the United States, Poland and around the world.
Women rights are human rights, and we must ensure that those rights are always upheld. We must ensure that women and girls are included in decision-making, that their voices are heard, and that we are actively addressing and eliminating the barriers that continue to widen the inequalities faced by women and girls.
I want to thank you for your fight and guarantee and share with you that I will continue to fight for the protection of women's rights defenders and ensure that women and girls are at the centre of all of the work that I do in Parliament.
Congratulations again to you all.
Thank you.