The president of the European Parliament says that there is still “much to be done” to guarantee the participation of women in leadership positions. A plea shared by other government leaders.
Political leaders from around the world called today for the representation of women and the role they can play in preserving peace and security during the 10th Summit of Women Political Leaders, held at the European Parliament.
The women shared their experiences in their home countries, such as Ethiopia, Moldova and Belarus, and the challenges they face in achieving equal participation in society.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said there was still “much to do” to ensure women’s participation in leadership positions and called for a “real” mindset change in many countries to allow for greater inclusion.
“The truth is that even with role models, even with leadership, there are still too many obstacles, too many ceilings without barriers. Not only in politics, but in all areas.Metsola observed.
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Metsola considered, however, that despite the challenges, women in positions of power in different domains “changed the world” and “broke down barriers and threw taboos into the dustbin of history”, in science, technology, mathematics, education, arts and journalism
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, leader of the Belarusian opposition, said that “more women in politics will mean more empathy, humanity and wisdom in our decisions.” Tsikhanouskaya recalled that in Belarus there are more than 200 political prisoners as a result of the protests that broke out in the country after the 2020 elections, in which the current president, Aleksandr Lukashenko, remained in power after 26 years at the helm of the country. .
Belarusian women were the first to protest against the police brutality that was trying to stop these demonstrations and demanded, during their speech at the summit, the unconditional release of the imprisoned women.
“We must remember that when we vote in favor of what the dictator wants us to vote for, for example, the lifting of sanctions, we are contributing to the suffering of these women,” she said.
Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde said that in conflict contexts, “women are portrayed as victims” as they lose their homes and are forced to move elsewhere. However, she said that although many do not hold positions of political influence, they contribute to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in their regions.
“In Ethiopia, Women leaders have played a key role in the conquest of independence and justice throughout our history”, he said.
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The war in Ukraine has forced more than 780,000 Ukrainian refugees to cross the border into Moldova since February 2022, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita explained. During her speech, Gavrilita said she was proud that the women-led government was in charge of dealing with the crises unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and of having achieved, under her mandate, the status of a candidate country for the European Union. (HUH).
“Is it a coincidence that all these achievements happened when Moldova was one of the few countries and, for some time, the only country where both the President and the Prime Minister were women?” she questioned.
Source: Observadora
