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It is with great pleasure that we are here today and we thank the Honourable Minister for her cooperation and the invitation to address the audience, thus showing the continuity of gender equality.
The promotion of equality between women and men is one of the horizontal priorities of the President's and his own personal governance programme.
We are well aware that the full guarantee of women's human rights is an important issue and a prerequisite for the social and economic development of all states. Gender equality means that the needs and human rights of both women and men should be considered equal, as should their obligations.
Women and men have biological differences, which should be taken into account when designing legislation, policies, actions and measures, while at the same time men and women should participate equally in the decision-making process, free from stereotypes and prejudices based on their gender.
The promotion of gender equality in our country is not only a matter of gender equality, but also a matter of gender equality. For years, women's organizations, including member organizations of the National Women's Rights Mechanism, as well as previous governments, have moved forward with significant actions, bills and policies that promote gender equality. Bearing in mind all that we have achieved over time, we are building on them and moving forward with new actions and policies, with the ultimate goal of accelerating the achievement of gender equality.
In this direction, through a holistic approach, the aim is to promote the active participation of women in society, creating a gender-sensitive political, economic and social framework, i.e. an environment that is friendly and welcoming for women and men. To achieve this objective and to create the right conditions, targeted actions and policies are formulated in all sectors and the tool of gender mainstreaming in Government policies and actions is used. In this context and taking into account everything that has been recorded in the evaluation, I have chosen today to refer only to institutional and policy upgrades rather than to actions.
It is therefore important that the new strategy and the institutional upgrades we have made are in the right direction. In particular, let me refer to some Ministerial decisions, which are also in line with the whole evaluation:
- The Commissioner continues to chair the National Women's Rights Mechanism;
- The Commissioner will prepare, coordinate, monitor and evaluate the new gender equality strategy. To make this possible, the third Ministerial Decision on the appointment of equality officers in each Ministry and Deputy Ministry for the purpose of coordination and achievement of the objective of horizontal gender mainstreaming follows.
For the creation of the new strategy and in the context of strengthening cooperation also with civil society, a broad consultation with more than two hundred people, including academics, women's organisations, NGOs, trade unions, entrepreneurs and employers' organisations has been completed and the formal consultation process followed. That is, once the draft was completed on the basis of discussions with all Ministries and Deputy Ministries as well as civil society, the Strategy was published on the special government website for further comments.
I am pleased to announce that in the coming days the new Strategy for Gender Equality 2024 - 2026 is expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers, with a view to its implementation in January, as is also required by the commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU.
I am pleased to announce that in the coming days the new Strategy for Gender Equality 2024 - 2026 is expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers, with a view to its implementation in January, as is also required by the commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU. It is important that many of the recommendations included in the evaluation, as we will hear in a moment, have been incorporated into the National Strategy.
At the same time, I recall that on 28 March 2023, the President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Christodoulides announced the establishment of the Office of the Gender Equality Commissioner, an action which, as the evaluation has shown, is a step in the right direction. At the same time, the institutionalisation demonstrates the political will of President Christodoulides himself to upgrade issues related to gender equality. The bill, having been drafted by our Office in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and the Commissioner for Legislation, has also been subject to an extensive exchange of views with the National Women's Rights Mechanism, which after three decades is secured through this bill. The bill has been consulted through the government's dedicated website and will be sent for legislative review in the coming days.
In conclusion, I would like to stress that only through holistic actions can we break down stereotypes and anachronistic perceptions. Not theoretically and with catchy slogans, but practically with interventions that can only have a positive impact on our daily lives. Our task is complex and certainly not easy. Changing mindsets requires strategy, effort and perseverance, which we are all doing together.
Partnerships are necessary and are a one-way street for our country to truly move forward. My special thanks to Dr Alexia Panayiotou for her assessment and for her invaluable contribution over time to the promotion of gender equality. I thank the equality officers of all Ministries and Deputy Ministries and of course the team of the Office, who stubbornly, every day and despite any challenges, remain all committed to achieving the goal.
(AF/NG)
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