Address by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the
Ministry of Justice
at the Gala Dinner of Association of Business Women
Address by the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice
and Public Order, Mr. Andreas P. Louca, at the Gala Dinner organized by the
Nicosia Association of Business and Professional Women (BPW Nicosia) on the
occasion of the t winning with the Association of Business and Professional Women of Basel, Switzerland (BPW Basel), at 1888 Restaurant in Nicosia.
“Madam President of the Nicosia Association of Business
and Professional Women (BPW Nicosia),
Madam President of the the Association of Business and Professional Women of Basel, Switzerland (BPW Basel)
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you for the invitation to address tonight’s event, organized by
the Nicosia Association of Business and Professional Women (BPW Nicosia) on the
occasion of the t winning with their counterparts in Basel, Switzerland (BPW
Basel).
This is a very important development, given that the Association of
Business and Professional Women strives for many years to encourage and support
the integration of women into the labour market,
reinforce female entrepreneurship, increase the number of women in managerial
positions in company boards and eliminate discrimination faced by professional
women, both at the local and European level.
During the last years, Cyprus has made a lot of progress and headway
in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A number of
National Action Plans and strategies have been developed that address issues of
gender equality , new laws tackling gender inequalities have been enacted, new
equality bodies have been set up and new policies have been formulated in
the field of violence against women, trafficking, employment, social
inclusion, education, health, public and political life.
The balanced participation of women and men in
decision-making positions in public, economic and political life remains a top
priority issue for the National Machinery for Women’s Rights, in line with the
National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2007-2013 and the new Strategic Plan on
Gender Equality 2014-2017, which is at the final stages of drafting.
Despite progress in the field of gender equality, traditional
perceptions regarding the role of women and men, as well as gender stereotypes
continue to impede de facto realisation of gender equality. Women’ s economic subordination is nowadays closely intertwined with the
financial crisis, as well as social and cultural barriers.
In Cyprus,
despite the fact that women constitute 51% of the population and have limitless
educational qualifications and skills, they represent only 8.9% of the members
of boards in the largest publicly listed companies against 91.1% of the male
rate.
In Europe, women make up around 14% of the
boards of the biggest publicly listed companies,
compared to 12% in 2010.
We strongly
believe that more dynamic policies are needed in this field for reasons of
equality and justice on the one hand, and to ensure competitiveness in a
globalized business environment on the other. Besides, there is extensive evidence demonstrating that companies that embrace
diversity and equality yield great profits.
In response to this challenge, the European Commission is proposing
measures to correct the imbalance. The relevant draft directive
of the European Commission has marked the
beginning of a long road in terms of
the creation and implementation of
specific measures and infrastructure in order to change attitudes and procedures for
equal participation of women and
men in decision-making
.
I am confident that both your Associations have a lot to contribute
towards this end.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are committed to continue working for the further
advancement of women, despite the global economic crisis, which has negatively
affected the country’s economy and social cohesion. The greatest challenge for
the future is to maintain and secure the necessary resources for the further
development of programmes promoting gender equality, so as to prevent any
setback in what has been achieved so far.
After all, gender equality should not be regarded as an
economic burden for the society, but should be regarded as a prerequisite for
social development and growth.
Finally, let me congratulate you once more for your
initiative to join forces and wish you every success in your future work.”
