It is with great pleasure and honor that I welcome you today to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, at a very important moment, I believe, not only for our Ministry but for our country as a whole, as we present Greece's first National Action Plan on "Women, Peace and Security" for the years 2023-2028.
And certainly, we could find no better occasion than today, which serves to remind us of the great struggles being waged for equality in all spheres of social action, in the family, in the workplace, in international peace, and global security.
This action plan is the result of a laborious effort, coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency of the Government, with the participation of nearly all competent ministries, as well as of the National Commission for Human Rights and the Greek Ombudsman Independent Authority. It is the tangible proof that Greece, following good international practices and looking ahead to a future primarily shaped by inclusion and substantive equality, is at the forefront of all actions aimed at a fairer society.
The Secretary-General of the United Nations has emphatically stated that women must play a primary role in the realms of peace and security. This is confirmed every day, despite the tragic events unfolding around us, which remind us that women are the first and most important victims in any case of social unrest. We see this in the Middle East, we see it in Ukraine, Afghanistan, Sudan, where there are credible allegations of serious crimes against women. This serves as a constant reminder of how difficult it is to ensure the path to a genuine and substantive protection of even the most basic rights in society.
The agenda of the United Nations Security Council has included the peace and security of women within the framework of sustainable development as a major theme and has called on UN member states to integrate policies aimed precisely at shaping a framework for national action plans concerning women, peace, and security.
For this reason, Greece has included precisely this theme, "Women, Peace, and Security" as a key pillar of its candidacy as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2025-2026 term. Considering that it not only constitutes a fundamental mandate of International Law, especially the law that concerns the protection of rights, but also because it represents an inherent necessity for the achievement of global social cohesion and real equality.
Simultaneously, the Greek state aims with all the means at its disposal to substantively upgrade the role of women in society at all levels: at the family level, at the workplace, at the level of political, social, and economic participation in all fora, in order not only to redress a long-standing injustice but also to serve as a lever for real progress. Because without substantive equality, there can be no real development. And any development based on elements devoid of substantive equality is always extremely vulnerable because it ruptures the base of social cohesion, which is equality.
I would particularly like to thank the two esteemed Ambassadors who are with us today, the Ambassador of Canada and the Ambassador of South Africa, for the privilege of having them here today.
Mesdames Ambassadors,
Thank you very much for being here. It is a great honor for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to have you with us today at this extremely important event and presentation.
In recent years, the effort to integrate national action plans, particularly in terms of gender equality, is based on two major plans: the National Action Plan for Gender Equality 2021-25 and the National Plan we present today: "Women, Peace and Security."
I would especially like to thank Ms Zefi Dimadama, the Secretary-General for Gender Equality and Human Rights of the Ministry of Social Cohesion and Family, as well as the Professor, Ms. Maria Gavouneli, who is present today both in her academic capacity and of course as President of the National Commission for Human Rights, for their invaluable assistance in drafting the Plan.
For us, women’s participation is at the heart of our policies, and we will do whatever is in our hands to ensure substantial upgrading.
Regrettably, events that occur on a daily basis serve to remind us that while indicators may appear to be improving, in reality, we are still far from having a result we can be proud of.
Unemployment in Greece has been significantly reduced. From approximately 23% in 2018, we have reached an unemployment rate of 9.2% in 2023. The unemployment rate among women has significantly declined over these years to 11.7% in 2023, compared to 23.4%. This represents a 50% reduction in female unemployment over the last six years. However, this reduction still falls short of the decrease in male unemployment. Particularly concerning is the fact that the level of part-time employment among women remains high, at approximately 28%.
I would like to conclude with two observations. My first observation is that conflicts unfolding internationally and in our broader region obviously have a significant impact on the high stakes of gender equality. Not only because women and girls are quintessential victims of wars, conflicts, or totalitarian regimes. In addition to that, due tο the indirect impact of conflicts, such as rising prices, many countries may reduce their social spending. And these reductions predominantly affect women.
In my opinion, this important day for Women's Rights, March 8th, precisely signifies the need to make a greater effort in our daily lives to achieve substantive convergence. And I would particularly like to refer to the motto adopted by the United Nations for today, March 8, 2024, "Invest in women, accelerate progress".
I would like to close with my second observation, particularly regarding peace and security. The need for a substantial presence of women is becoming even more important and will become even more significant in the future. In a world built for centuries on the logic of male dominance, what is needed, I believe, in order to establish social peace, is a more substantive balance of gender participation in decision-making, especially in decisions related to global peace and prosperity.
Responding exactly to this need, here at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have established the Department of Equality, which we hope will soon be upgraded to an Equality Office within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Administrative Secretariat with an important dual role. The first role is to ensure equality at all levels within the Ministry, as well as to promote gender equality policies formulated within the framework of the Ministry and the government. A very significant role is also to monitor the implementation of the National Plan for Women, Peace, and Security. Of course, there is also the ever-important ambition to have a much greater participation of women in decision-making centers.
I believe we have managed relatively well at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It remains to be seen how well we will do as a society.
Once again, I wish you every success. Thank you for today's excellent event.
March 8, 2024