Along with strengthening the rule of law and good governance and promotion of sustainable and inclusive economic growth, the issue of gender equality exactly is a topic that Latvia has particularly stressed when participating in discussions of the UN Member States on just approved new sustainable Post-2015 development agenda. Raimonds Vējonis pointed out in his speech that Latvia should continue improvement of its legislation by joining the new Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence by 2018.
The President of Latvia emphasized that Latvia achieved significant progress in education and employment of women and would support other developing cooperation partners in this regard, “We shall provide support to government institutions and non-governmental organizations both in Central Asia and the Eastern Partnership countries of the European Union in order to assist them in preventing any kind of violence against women by encouraging their participation in the economic processes and political decision-making.” Raimonds Vējonis also added that Latvia would support law enforcement authorities in order to reduce prevalence of sham marriages.
On Monday, September 28, the President of Latvia will continue his working visit to the USA, he will attend the working breakfast and the luncheon for the heads of delegations hosted by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and he will participate in the opening and discussions of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly, where the President of Russia Vladimir Putin and the US President Barack Obama will take the floor. Raimonds Vējonis will also have several bilateral meetings with other leaders like President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili and the President and the Commander of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta, and he will attend the reception hosted by the President of the United States Barack Obama and the First Lady Mrs. Michelle Obama on Monday.