It is a great pleasure to be with you again and I would like to express my warmest congratulations for organizing this event dedicated to Varvara Lyssarides, a woman whose action and contribution paved the way, inspired and contributed to the support and promotion of women in Cyprus and especially rural women. Tonight's event is the best memorial for the woman model Varvara Lyssarides, highlighting her enormous contribution in difficult times for our country and especially her enormous contribution to the right to retirement for farmers.
Dear friends, dear friends,
Varvara Lyssarides, although she was born in America, felt more Cypriot, as she herself stated in her interviews ..... "I have lived in Cyprus for so many years that I feel Cypriot in my daily life". She was a journalist, a correspondent, a writer. She participated as a journalist in dangerous missions, visited several countries where her experiences inspired her to write two books and during the liberation struggle 55-59 she went to various countries informing about what was happening in Cyprus where women were always fighting, contributing and playing a role in all sectors of our society. In the field of economy, education, culture, health, family. However, these struggles and their achievements are not visible in society, even today, in 2022.
Through adverse conditions, women in Cyprus managed to break the bonds that kept them tied to stereotypes and prejudices, managed to emerge and be recognized in the field of social contribution, making a great contribution to the culture, the social and economic sector of our country. She managed to create role models and inspire other women.
We have an obligation to highlight and honour these role models because they are a compass for all of us in our common struggles.
In Varvara Lyssarides we recognise all those characteristics that I mentioned above: assertiveness, action, contribution. In Varvara Lyssarides we recognise the woman who encouraged, inspired, motivated and revived dreams for future generations of women.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Tonight we honour rural women. The role of women in our rural areas is very important in the primary sector of production. The Cypriot woman farmer is the pillar of the rural economy keeping the countryside alive and productive.
For our women farmers the challenges are many and the opportunities are fewer. Empowering these women is essential not only for the well-being of individuals, their families, and rural communities but also for collective productivity due to the fact that there is a large presence of women in the rural workforce worldwide. They must be given and have equal opportunities that allow them to make full use of their potential and skills by contributing to society. Every woman and girl in rural areas must enjoy equal and equal opportunities and financial support.
Encouraging women's participation in the rural sector should be accelerated through policies and actions that facilitate, encourage and empower women to be able to face challenges. Policies that prioritise the right to a decent living, safeguarding their labour and property rights, addressing gender-based violence and providing quality education. Our goal is a world that is just, tolerant, open, friendly and socially inclusive, where the needs of the most vulnerable groups are met.
Taking the above into account, the new National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2019-2023, under the objective of Empowering Vulnerable Groups of Women, has identified as intermediate objectives, among others, the empowerment of women in rural areas.
In closing, I would like to pay my respect to Varvara Lyssarides and congratulate you again for tonight's event.
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