In his welcome address, Ambassador Dr Benedejčič, highlighted Slovenia's longstanding commitment to the advancement of gender equality and women's empowerment. This has been continuously demonstrated through Slovenia's activities at the national and international level ever since its independence. Slovenia's efforts have been further solidified through its feminist foreign policy. Ambassador Dr Benedejčič emphasized the fact that today women in Slovenia occupy leading roles in both political and security spheres, and noted that the Women, Peace and Security Agenda is one of the four priorities of Slovenia's non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council in the period 2024-2025.

Ms Irene Fellin, NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security, also addressed those present. She especially emphasised the role of civil society and partners for gender mainstreaming and the advancement of women's rights, and highlighted Slovenia's support for the relaunch of the NATO Advisory Panel.

In recent years, NATO has made significant progress in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. This includes NATO's Strategic Concept from 2022, which placed it firmly within all NATO's core tasks.

NATO's Civil Society Advisory Panel gathered for the first time in its new composition, which also includes a Slovenian representative. The Panel's recommendations will importantly contribute to the formulation of the updated NATO Policy on Women, Peace and Security, which is set to be adopted at the NATO Summit in Washington in July.