Your Excellency High Commissioner, dear friends,
Today marks a special day for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic. The presentation of the Equality Action Plan 2024-2027 is, I believe, the culmination of a philosophy and approach, which permeate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Greek Public Administration as a whole.
Since 2019, it was decided to include horizontal actions in government Action Plans on issues concerning various Ministries. This resulted in the National Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Strategy for the Protection of Women and Children, the National Strategy for lgbtq+ persons. It is an approach that highlights the need to protect vulnerable groups of citizens, namely those who have been marginalized, targeted or underrepresented for many decades. In doing so, we underline the need for a society where there is not only equality before the law, but where there is actually equality in practice.
For that reason, it is with great joy that I present today the Action Plan, which – let me stress this, as I am very proud – is the result of the efforts made by the staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The people of our Ministry, and, in particular, Ms. Angelatou and Mr. Aktypis, Head of the Unit for Equality – an initiative that we introduced last year – did all the work, in cooperation with the very competent staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As a result, today we have this text, which will in fact serve as our guide for the years and decades to come.
Having Mr. Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, on an official visit today is a particularly pleasant coincidence. I think you could not have found a better occasion than this one, Mr. High Commissioner, dear Volker. A man who has dedicated his life to the protection of rights.
Nevertheless, I must say – and we had an extensive discussion with the High Commissioner – that the current period is not particularly favorable for rights. And it is not favorable for equality either. Unfortunately, in the midst of multiple armed conflicts, hostilities in many parts of the world, civil wars, destitution and poverty, large parts of the world’s population lack even the most basic infrastructure and goods. At a time when inequalities are widening and rights are being eroded, it is necessary that we build a bulwark. We must return to the most fundamental of freedoms. We must seek the true purpose of our State. It should not be a State that merely supports its citizens at a superficial level, but rather a State at the service of its citizens. An inclusive State that leaves no one behind. That must be our ambition.
From the first day we assumed office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, apart from establishing the Unit for Equality, which is a particularly remarkable action by itself, we sought concrete ways to ensure protection against any kind of discrimination in our Ministry. A Ministry where everyone is represented, everyone can express themselves and everyone feels free to work, take a stand, voice their opinions without fear of being professionally undermined or being subjected to any kind of animosity.
In this effort we had, as always, the support of the National Commission for Human Rights, an advisory body of the State, independent and often critical. Its President, my dear colleague, Ms. Maria Gavouneli, is always at the forefront of the protection of rights. This collaboration has led to today’s event, where, along with the Report on the actual status of gender equality, we also present our own Action Plan.
Regarding the equal participation of women, I would like to point out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs must be a forerunner among the Greek Public Administration. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has achieved, under adverse circumstances for women’s representation, to have a largely female workforce, more that 50% in total and 46% in managerial positions. We are already approaching 40% in the representation of women in the diplomatic service. This is part of a deliberate effort, which has already commenced and will continue. We are pleased to see that there is equal representation of women in the exams for the diplomatic service. I think that this trend will continue and will be further enhanced.
In the Plan that the Ministry’s Secretary General, Ms. Angelatou – who has made an extraordinary effort to upgrade not only the services, but also the policies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – will present, you will note a series of actions that are innovative in several aspects, and some that are self-evident. Our vision is to reach a point, where no Action Plan will be needed, because inequalities will simply no longer exist. Equality policies that are self-evident and inherent to human dignity will become so embedded in our culture that no action on the part of the State will be required to implement the obvious: equality before the law, equal representation, prohibition of discrimination on any ground. That is why we will continue working towards the inclusive state that we all envision.
At the end of the day, what distinguishes a civilized state, a state governed by the rule of law, is its attitude towards freedom and equality. We will dedicate all of our strength to achieving that goal.
Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. High Commissioner.
November 19, 2024