UfM conference paves way for gender equality in Euro-Mediterranean region

NICOSIA — A high-level conference on women held in Nicosia, Cyprus last week concluded with actionable solutions to advance gender equality across the Euro-Mediterranean region.

The actionable solutions were drawn during the Union for the Mediterranean’s(UfM) biennial High-Level Conference on Women for the Mediterranean, which was co-organised with the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality of Cyprus.

UfM Deputy Secretary General, Social and Civil Affairs Ambassador John Paul Grech said in his closing remarks of the event that several messages were extracted from the different roundtables and sessions.

One of the messages according to Grech was the need to enhance partnership collaboration with private and public sectors.

He added that creating synergies is important to scale up and replicate the good practices presented.

“We also need to explore new areas of intervention, such as gender and climate risks security and Artificial Intelligence, with a special focus on social-economic impact,” Grech told the gathering.

The UfM ambassador pointed out that several critical issues were tackled as outlined in the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society.

“We have delved into the concrete recommendations that will shape the roadmap for implementation 2024-2025, focusing on pivotal areas such as women's economic empowerment, the intersection of gender and climate change, combating violence against women and girls, and addressing gender stereotypes in the media,” he said.

“I encourage all of us to keep the dialogue and collaboration alive, ensuring that the progress we have made today becomes the foundation for a brighter, more equitable future for all. Let us remain committed to advancing gender equality, not just in words, but in deeds,” Grech concluded.

The two-day event brought together politicians, local and governmental organisations and journalists to discuss concrete actions that need to be undertaken to effectively improve gender equality in the Euro-Mediterranean context.

The event also discussed the 2024-2025 Roadmap for Implementation, aiming to operationalise the 5th UfM Ministerial Declaration on Strengthening the Role of Women in Society.

The ideas generated during the conference's discussions will directly shape the concrete initiatives and actions to operationalise the RoadMap for Implementation of the Ministerial Declaration 2024-2025, said Commissioner for Gender Equality of the Republic of Cyprus Josie Christodoulou.

The commissioner told The Jordan Times that the event was also an important venue to listen to women from the region to understand exactly the problem from the bottom-up and not to take the down approach.

“When you hear the stories of women, the stories of the society organisations this is how you can create more targeted policies from the top-down,” Christodoulou said.

She added that one of the most important events was the journalists meeting that discussed stereotypes and issues pertaining to women in our region.

“The collaboration with the media is very important and we count on journalists to create a coalition that would work to advance gender equality in the Euro-Mediterranean area," Christodoulou stated.

During the opening session on Thursday, Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa reiterated the Kingdom’s commitment to work with the UfM member states to empower women and achieve gender equality in the region.

“I would like to stress the importance of cooperation and solidarity among the countries of the Euro-Mediterranean region to achieve these common goals,” the minister was quoted as saying in her speech that was delivered on her behalf during the opening session by Jordanian Ambassador to Cyprus Basheer Zoubi

“Let us work together for a better, more equitable future for women and girls in our region,” Bani Mustafa stressed in her speech.