Bhubaneswar: Woman must be empowered to handle important political and social responsibilities in order to build an inclusive culture and strengthen governance, foreign diplomats and representatives from eight countries in India said here on Monday.
The need to break down structural barriers and provide equal opportunities to women so that they can flourish in different spheres is the key to development and governance, they opined while speaking at an international conference on ‘Redefining Leadership: The Rise of Women in Global Governance’ at the SOA Deemed to be University.
“The participation of women in governance is needed and they must be fully involved as they bring innovation and resilience to whatever they do. Human dignity should be at the centre of governance and it should be accepted that leadership is not the responsibility of a few. It should be inclusive and compassionate,” said Juan Antonio March Pujol, Ambassador of Spain.
The conference, presided over by SOA Vice-Chancellor Prof. Pradipta Kumar Nanda, was also addressed by — Ambassador of Guyana Dharmakumar Seeraj, Ambassador of Algeria Dr Abdenor Khelifi, High Commissioner of Maldives Aisheth Azeema, High Commissioner of Seychelles Harisoa Lalatiana Accouche, First
Secretary Embassy of Guyana Kayshav Persaud Tewari, Second Secretary Embassy of Timor Leste Antonio Maria De Jesus Dos Santos and Counsellor from Embassy of Bolivia Arlette Gabriela Bustamante Garcia.
Seeraj describing the subject as ‘interesting’, and said Guyana, a small country with a population of 8 lakh, had been making efforts to bring parity and equality in governance with women occupying crucial positions in the system.
Seeraj quoted from research findings to state that at the current rate of progress, it will take 130 years to ensure gender equality.
“Around 90,000 women are being trained in Guyana in various domains but much more needs to be done,” he said, adding that 37 per cent of Guyana’s population was of Indian origin.
Dr Khelifi said women in Algeria displayed extraordinary courage as leaders while the nation had taken bold steps to encourage women to take part in the political process. “Fifty per cent of judges in Algeria are women while girls account for 63 per cent of university students in the country,” Dr Khelifi informed.
Azeema said traditionally, women have been the backbone of the society in Mauritius, and were playing a crucial role in climate advocacy. “There is no position women cannot reach,” she said, adding that conferences like these will go a long way in creating a more resilient world.
Accouche said leadership is not defined by gender but by vision, resilience and empathy. She pointed out that the new government in Seychelles, which was sworn in two weeks ago, comprised of eight young women among 14 ministers, while a 35-year-old woman served as the Speaker of the National Assembly.