President's commitment to gender equality

The President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, attended tonight the opening ceremony of the 38th World Conference of the Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, organized by the Cyprus Girl Guides Association, which took place at the ancient theater of Kourion.

During his speech at the ceremony, the President of the Republic mentioned that his government has included specific actions in the governance program to promote gender equality and is actively working towards achieving this goal.

He added, "As a father of four daughters, this is a matter that concerns me deeply." He noted that several measures are already being implemented, such as expanding support for families to accommodate their professional responsibilities and creating a legal framework to effectively address gender discrimination. These measures aim to improve the position of women in the economic and social life of the country.

The President emphasized that while women are protected by laws against discrimination in social security, wages, pensions, pregnancy, motherhood, and sexual harassment, there is still much more to be done.

An important step in this effort, he said, is the National Plan for Gender Equality, which is currently being prepared in collaboration with the Commissioner for Gender Equality and relevant ministries, with appointed officials to promote gender equality in all sectors.

"Your role and voice in this liberation are crucial," the President addressed the members of the organizations, pointing out that the voice of their nine million members from 152 countries is powerful and clear, and "we are listening."

Finally, the President praised the work of the Cyprus Girl Guides Association in achieving the goals of strengthening the voice and rights of women.