By Manal Abdel Fattah
Sweden’s commitment to gender equality extends beyond legal frameworks and work-life balance, said Ambassador Hakan Emsgaard, Sweden’s Ambassador to Cairo.
This came during his speech at a celebration organized by the Mexican Embassy in Cairo, today, on the occasion of International Women’s Day and Egyptian Women’s Day, to distribute the “Pioneers of Change” awards for the fourth year in a row, in cooperation with the embassies of Canada and Sweden, in addition to the Czech Republic, France, and Germany.
The Swedish ambassador added: Women’s empowerment is deeply rooted in all our societal values, cultural standards and public policies, as gender equality is a priority in Swedish foreign policy.
He stressed that the Swedish government is working to combat negative standards by ensuring the impact of gender equality on policy choices and priorities, such as equal pay, shared parental leave, and the allocation of gender-sensitive development aid in all areas.
He continued that to achieve gender equality, it is important to enhance women’s empowerment and ensure economic empowerment, as one of the ways to achieve this is to increase women’s presence in all sectors of society.
All participating embassies agreed to continue calling for increased representation of women in leadership positions in all sectors, knowing that inclusion is not just a buzzword, but rather a catalyst for innovation and progress.
The “Pioneers of Change” awards were launched in 2020, to honor the contributions of Egyptian gender equality pioneers and their efforts in building a stronger Egypt. The award ceremony is held in conjunction with the celebration of International Women’s Day and Egyptian Women’s Day, and this year’s slogan is “Inspiring Inclusion.”
Louis Dumas, Ambassador of Canada to Cairo, Ivan Yukl, Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Cairo, Raphael Martin de Lagarde, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of France in Cairo, Frank Hartmann, Ambassador of Germany to Cairo, Leonora Rueda, Ambassador of Mexico to Cairo, and Hakan Emsgaard, Ambassador of Sweden to Cairo, celebrated. Highlights of the social, economic and political achievements of distinguished Egyptian women, as each of these six countries is long-standing advocates of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
