11 October marks the International Day of the Girl Child. To commemorate this day, the President’s Foundation for the Well-being of Society and the KSU (Kunsill Studenti Universitarji) organised a programme of events that also took place with events in Brussels and Canada.
Whilst acknowledging the contributions made by girls and young women within our communities, in the Mediterranean region, and across the world, the President of Malta told those present that “achieving meaningful opportunities for people of all genders is at the heart of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030 and its Sustainable Development Goals. SDG Number 5 pledges each of our countries and the international community to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment within our lifetimes”.
However, according to World Economic Forum indicators, it will take an estimated 170 years to achieve full gender parity on a global level at the current rate of progress.
The President called for continuous promotion of active processes of child participation which recognise children as social agents, adding that “we must raise our daughters to think of themselves as potential leaders and innovative thinkers with a powerful contribution to make to our society”.
With this philosophy in mind, the President spearheaded a new platform of women organisations. Aptly named, emPOWer, the platform, which is being facilitated by the President’s Foundation for the Well-being of Society, aims to encourage more women to participate in positions of influence and leadership while also creating social synergies among nationally-active groups for women.
The 17 organisations making up emPOWer are: 100 Women in Finance, Business and Professional Women in Malta, Foundation for Women Entrepreneurs, Malta Association of Women in Business, Malta Confederation of Women Organisations, Malta Girl Guides, Migrant Women Association Malta, MissInTech, Moviment Nisa Partit Nazzjonalista, National Council of Women, Network of Young Women Leaders, Soroptimist Malta, Nisa Laburisti, Women Directors in Malta, Women’s Rights Foundation, Women Web Entrepreneurs Malta, and Young Women Christian Association.