Role of Women and Youth in Transforming Societies: Egypt and Japan, Comparing Notes

Cairo, 14 February 2016 – The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in Egypt, in collaboration with the National Council for Women and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and the Embassy of Japan, organized a unique forum that brought together prominent speakers from Egypt and Japan to share their views and aspirations on achieving inclusive growth through the empowerment of women and youth.

The event comes in light of Egypt and Japan’s long history of bilateral cooperation and an expanding partnership between the two nations following Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s fruitful official visit to Egypt in 2015, now to be followed by the first official visit of President Abdelfattah El-Sisi to Japan. As both countries’ current heads of state are known to be placing heavy emphasis on the empowerment of women as a key to social and economic progress, this forum makes a contribution to enrich the debate and to identify concrete areas for cooperation.

Dr. Miwa Kato, UN Women Country Director for Egypt, welcomed the distinguished speakers and participants, expressing joy of having a truly multidisciplinary panel comprising of prominent political and economic leaders from both countries with their crucial role in influencing policies and bringing about positive change. Emphasizing that progress in gender equality and empowerment of women requires innovative partnership and cross-sectoral cooperation between government, legislatures, businesses, academia, media and all sectors of the society if transformational changes are to be realized.

Key note speeches were delivered by H.E. Ms. Yuriko Koike, Member of the Japanese House of Representatives who was Japan’s first female Defense Minister and also a former Minister of Environment; H.E. Ambassador Mervat Tellawy, Director General of the Arab Women’s Organization and Honorary Chairperson of the Egypt-Japan Business Council; H.E. Eng. Khaled Abdel Aziz, Minister of Youth and Sports; Dr. Maya Morsy, the newly appointed President of the National Council for Women, H.E. Ambassador Hisham Badr, Assistant Foreign Minister and also a former Ambassador of Egypt to Japan, and H.E. Ambassador Takehiro Kagawa, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt and the host and enabler of this forum event.

Two interactive panel discussions were held focusing on the “Role of political leaders, legislature and government” and “Innovative approach and enabling environment created by private sector leaders and entrepreneurs” with prominent panelists from both countries (see the attached agenda for a full list of speakers and panelists).

Panelists shared their insights on how the empowerment of women and youth will be a key accelerating factor in bringing about inclusive growth, economic development and broader social progress and the positive effects vice versa where respect for diversity and inclusion will increase as a result of growth and progress.

 It was also recognized that the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment is one policy action area that provides opportunities for sharing of experiences and mutual learning among countries at various stages of development, very much in the spirit of universality that is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals and vision 2030 to achieve gender equality.