President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca officially opened the fourth Women4Mediterranean conference organised by the Union for the Mediterranean in Lisbon, Portugal. This year’s conference focused on the potential of women in building inclusive societies.
President Coleiro Preca said that the inclusion, the participation, and the empowerment of girls and women cannot be a simple footnote on the Mediterranean agenda, but women must equally share positions of leadership to ensure that a positive, sustainable, and long-lasting change is effectively achieved in the region.
President Coleiro Preca highlighted that to achieve this goal, authorities and civil society activists must be encouraged and supported to overcome the cultural and social barriers that still impede so many women and girls from their full participation.
“It is these inequalities and injustices which continue to hold us back and which, if not addressed, will hold back our future generations, preventing them from living in a peaceful and prosperous world, free from inequalities, prejudice, and discrimination”, the President added.
The President identified possible solutions which would involve the inclusion of more women in public life and positions of decision-making, improvement in the economic inclusion of women, effectively combating all forms of gender-based violence and the elimination of harmful sexist stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination.
President Coleiro Preca stressed that gender equality is a human rights issue, whilst citing the first fundamental human right that all people are born free and equal. The President said that it is opportune to celebrate the 70thanniversary of the signing of the Human Rights Declaration by putting these rights into practice.
Gender equality is about embracing diverse people of all genders and creating a context in which every person can pursue their legitimate aspirations and be respected in the fullness of their human dignity.