11 September, 2014
1888 Restaurant, Old City of Nicosia, 8:30 p.m.

Madam President of the Nicosia Association of Business and Professional Women (BPW Nicosia),
Madam President of the the Association of Business and Professional Women of Basel, Switzerland (BPW Basel)
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for the invitation to address tonight’s event, organized by the Nicosia Association of Business and Professional Women (BPW Nicosia) on the occasion of the «Twinning» with their counterparts in Basel, Switzerland (BPW Basel).

This is a very important development, given that the Association of Business and Professional Women strives for many years to encourage and support the integration of women into the labour market, reinforce female entrepreneurship, increase the number of women in managerial positions in company boards and eliminate discrimination faced by professional women, both at the local and European level.

During the last years, Cyprus has made a lot of progress and headway in the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. A number of National Action Plans and strategies have been developed that address issues of gender equality, new laws tackling gender inequalities have been enacted, new equality bodies have been set up and new policies have been formulated in the field of violence against women, trafficking, employment, social inclusion, education, health, public and political life.

The balanced participation of women and men in decision-making positions in public, economic and political life remains a top priority issue for the National Machinery for Women’s Rights, in line with the National Action Plan on Gender Equality 2007-2013 and the new Strategic Plan on Gender Equality 2014-2017, which is at the final stages of drafting.

Despite progress in the field of gender equality, traditional perceptions regarding the role of women and men, as well as gender stereotypes continue to impede de facto realisation of gender equality. Women’s economic subordination is nowadays closely intertwined with the financial crisis, as well as social and cultural barriers.

In Cyprus, despite the fact that women constitute 51% of the population and have limitless educational qualifications and skills, they represent only 8.9% of the members of boards in the largest publicly listed companies against 91.1% of the male rate.

In Europe, women make up around 14% of the boards of the biggest publicly listed companies, compared to 12% in 2010.

We strongly believe that more dynamic policies are needed in this field for reasons of equality and justice on the one hand, and to ensure competitiveness in a globalized business environment on the other. Besides, there is extensive evidence demonstrating that companies that embrace diversity and equality yield great profits.

In response to this challenge, the European Commission is proposing measures to right the imbalance. The relevant draft directive of the European Commission has marked the beginning of a long road in terms of the creation and implementation of specific measures and infrastructure in order to change attitudes and procedures for equal participation of women and men in decision-making.

I am confident that both your Associations have a lot to contribute towards this end.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We are committed to continue working for the further advancement of women, despite the global economic crisis, which has negatively affected the country’s economy and social cohesion. The greatest challenge for the future is to maintain and secure the necessary resources for the further development of programmes promoting gender equality, so as to prevent any setback in what has been achieved so far.

After all, gender equality should not be regarded as an economic burden for the society, but should be regarded as a prerequisite for social development and growth.

Finally, let me congratulate you once more for your initiative to join forces and wish you every success in your future work.

Ministry of Justice and Public Order