UNDP, UN Women, UNFPA and the Government of Sweden celebrate International Women's Day with women in Luxor and Qena
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On the occasion of International Women’s Day and the celebration of the Year of Egyptian Women, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Sweden will celebrate it this year with Egyptian women at Qena and Luxor governorates. Thevisit aims to monitor the progress made by the UN agencies women-related development programmes in Upper Egypt and hear women’s voices who benefited from the programme.
The visit covers the main projects under the umbrella of the UN joint programme "Social, Economic, and Legal Empowerment of Egyptian Women" in partnership with the Egyptian Government and the generous support of the Government of Sweden. The delegation will visit the local branch of the National Council for Women (NCW), where women beneficiaries will share their personal stories about how obtaining a national ID has given them opportunities to practice their citizenship rights and have access to services.
On the same day, a visit to the legal aid office of the Luxor Family Court will take place; where women and men receive free legal assistance. To-date, 41 offices have been established in the Family Courts of 22 governorates with the Ministry of Justice, supporting over 510,000 cases. The delegation and the National Population Council representatives will also be visiting villages where local communities refuse the Female Genital Mutilation practice and are currently advocating for its end.
“I am excited to celebrate the International Women's Day this year among Egyptian women, who are the cornerstone of the development process in Egypt. We work for women every day and in all our programmes to support national partners to accelerate the progress towards gender equality and the empowerment women in Egypt.” said UNDP Country Director Randa Aboul-Hosn.
“The 2017 theme for International Women’s Day “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030” calls on us to do the right and the smart thing, and construct a world, which does not teach women and girls to be less, have less, and dream smaller than men and boys. Research shows that Egypt’s economy can grow by up to 34% by 2025 if women and girls are given the same employment opportunities as men and boys. Hence, women’s full participation in social, economic and political life is a pre-condition for achieving Egypt’s Vision 2030. UN Women is pleased to work closely with and support the National Council for Women and many other partners in their goal of creating an enabling environment for women’s empowerment, for the benefit of women and girls, their families, communities and the Egyptian society as a whole.” stated Mr. Jorg Schimmel; UN Women Country Director a.i.
“While we are celebrating International women’s day, it is important to remember that gender equality is not just a woman’s issue. It’s an issue for all, vital to sustainable development, peace and security. In our efforts to assist the Government of Egypt to address the challenges of population growth, UNFPA is fully committed to ensuring universal access to voluntary family planning. That means putting the poorest, most marginalized and excluded women and girls at the forefront of our efforts.” Dr. Aleksandar Bodiroza, UNFPA Egypt’s representative.