By Manal Abdel Fattah
Raphael Martin de Lagarde, Deputy Head of Mission and Chargé d’Affaires of the French Embassy in Cairo, said that his country follows a feminist foreign policy, and therefore has made gender equality a fundamental pillar of its work on the global stage, whether through advocacy and political participation, or through aid. Purposeful development, civil society support, etc.
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.
He explained that in 2023, France mobilized one million euros to promote gender equality and combat discrimination and violence against women in Egypt.
He added that, among other things, we have funded 14 local organizations, and France also supports women’s entrepreneurship, explaining that so far, 7,500 projects have been funded and 26,400 job opportunities have been created in 26 provinces.
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.
