Ergoge Tesfaye, Minister of Woman and Social Affairs of Ethiopia, attended the forum
date：2023-12-15 16:30:01 hits：
The 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum successfully convened in Sanya, Hainan from December 6-8. Co-hosted by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the UN Resident Coordinator Office in China, and jointly organized by the People’s Government of Sanya City, the China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development, and the Secretariat of the Belt and Road Women’s Forum. Chen Xi, Mayor of the People’s Government of Sanya City, attended the opening ceremony of the forum and delivered a speech.
Video message from Ergoge Tesfaye, Minister of Woman and Social Affairs of Ethiopia
Excellency ministers and high-level government officials,
Esteemed representatives from civil society, academia, and the private sector
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honored to address the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum and I want to thank the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for extending the invitation. I would have loved to be there with all of you in person, but I am unable to attend the forum physically due to other competing priorities.
The bilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and China is long-standing and has been growing even stronger with time. Ethiopia has been one of the model African countries benefiting from the Belt and Road initiative since it was launched back in 2013 with successful largescale projects in infrastructure, energy, transportation, industrial and business development. The significant contribution of the initiative in boosting Ethiopia’s economic development is well-documented.
The Belt and Road initiative has improved the lives of women and girls in Ethiopia in various ways. The Industrial Parks built and through Chinese cooperation have opened employment opportunities for thousands of women across the country. The infrastructure projects have contributed towards expanding access to education and health for women and girls. Projects in energy have been instrumental in reducing the unpaid care and domestic work burden.
We have to be mindful, however, that there is still more to be done. The initiative needs to fully integrate gender. Programmes and projects that are solely focused on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women need to be prioritized. We also need to put into place safe-guarding mechanisms to protect women and girls from harassment, violence and discrimination including ensuring equal pay and safe working environments.
It is evident that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be met without achieving gender equality and focusing on empowering the most vulnerable through the principle of “Leave No One Behind”. In this spirit, engendering the Belt and Road initiative will have substantial contribution in achieving Goal 5 and other gender related indicators of the SDGs.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
While economic initiatives such as the Belt and Road can positively impact gender equality outcomes, improving gender parity will in turn result in significant economic dividends. Women make up half of the population of the world and their contributions towards the economic, social, and political development of their countries and communities is immense. I believe the theme of this forum, “She Power” encapsulates the role women play in societies. However, patriarchal system, discriminatory social norms and attitudes meant these contributions have gone unrecognized for long.
It is only through sustained investments in enhancing women’s economic, and social participation and benefit, increasing their role in leadership and decision-making and addressing challenges such as gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices that the world can fully benefit from women’s unique knowledge, skills, capacities, and resources.
The Government of Ethiopia has recognized the indispensability of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in its efforts to reach middle-income status through its home-grown economic reform agenda. Gender and social inclusion is one of the key pillars of the Ten Years Development Plan of Ethiopia (2021-2030). The government has also taken various legal, policy, and institutional measures to ensure the rights of women and girls.
Through these measures, there have been commendable achievements in terms of better education and health opportunities for women and girls, enhanced participation in leadership and decision-making, particularly at the highest levels of government, expanding access to ownership and control of land and other productive resources, and increasing employment and entrepreneurship prospects for women.
Excellencies, Ladies, and gentlemen,
There are, however, significant challenges that have the potential to prevent us from achieving the SDGs, and Goal 5 in particular. In the case of Ethiopia, women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent conflicts, and natural disasters such as drought and flood. These challenges pose a risk of not only curbing our progress but can potentially reverse the gains we have made so far in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts by all relevant stakeholders including governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and development partners. Gender equality and women’s empowerment also needs to be the cornerstone of both North-South and South-South bilateral cooperation. All development projects need to be re-evaluated through a gender lens with increased financing channeled towards those projects with clear outcomes on advancing gender equality.
I want to forward a challenge to the participants of the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum. Let us put our minds together and come up with innovative solutions that would allow us to not only envision but to realize an inclusive world where gender parity is the norm. Let us conceptualize concrete measures to accelerate the current rate of progress and dispel projections of the World Economic Forum which states it will take 132 years to close the global gender gap or the even grimmer predication of UN Women which puts achieving gender equality 286 years away.
I would like to conclude my remarks by once again thanking the organizers of the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum and wishing you fruitful deliberations. I will be eagerly awaiting to hear the outcomes and way forward. Thank you!
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am honored to address the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum and I want to thank the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries for extending the invitation. I would have loved to be there with all of you in person, but I am unable to attend the forum physically due to other competing priorities.
The bilateral cooperation between Ethiopia and China is long-standing and has been growing even stronger with time. Ethiopia has been one of the model African countries benefiting from the Belt and Road initiative since it was launched back in 2013 with successful largescale projects in infrastructure, energy, transportation, industrial and business development. The significant contribution of the initiative in boosting Ethiopia’s economic development is well-documented.
The Belt and Road initiative has improved the lives of women and girls in Ethiopia in various ways. The Industrial Parks built and through Chinese cooperation have opened employment opportunities for thousands of women across the country. The infrastructure projects have contributed towards expanding access to education and health for women and girls. Projects in energy have been instrumental in reducing the unpaid care and domestic work burden.
We have to be mindful, however, that there is still more to be done. The initiative needs to fully integrate gender. Programmes and projects that are solely focused on advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women need to be prioritized. We also need to put into place safe-guarding mechanisms to protect women and girls from harassment, violence and discrimination including ensuring equal pay and safe working environments.
It is evident that the Sustainable Development Goals cannot be met without achieving gender equality and focusing on empowering the most vulnerable through the principle of “Leave No One Behind”. In this spirit, engendering the Belt and Road initiative will have substantial contribution in achieving Goal 5 and other gender related indicators of the SDGs.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
While economic initiatives such as the Belt and Road can positively impact gender equality outcomes, improving gender parity will in turn result in significant economic dividends. Women make up half of the population of the world and their contributions towards the economic, social, and political development of their countries and communities is immense. I believe the theme of this forum, “She Power” encapsulates the role women play in societies. However, patriarchal system, discriminatory social norms and attitudes meant these contributions have gone unrecognized for long.
It is only through sustained investments in enhancing women’s economic, and social participation and benefit, increasing their role in leadership and decision-making and addressing challenges such as gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices that the world can fully benefit from women’s unique knowledge, skills, capacities, and resources.
The Government of Ethiopia has recognized the indispensability of achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment in its efforts to reach middle-income status through its home-grown economic reform agenda. Gender and social inclusion is one of the key pillars of the Ten Years Development Plan of Ethiopia (2021-2030). The government has also taken various legal, policy, and institutional measures to ensure the rights of women and girls.
Through these measures, there have been commendable achievements in terms of better education and health opportunities for women and girls, enhanced participation in leadership and decision-making, particularly at the highest levels of government, expanding access to ownership and control of land and other productive resources, and increasing employment and entrepreneurship prospects for women.
Excellencies, Ladies, and gentlemen,
There are, however, significant challenges that have the potential to prevent us from achieving the SDGs, and Goal 5 in particular. In the case of Ethiopia, women and girls have been disproportionately affected by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recent conflicts, and natural disasters such as drought and flood. These challenges pose a risk of not only curbing our progress but can potentially reverse the gains we have made so far in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Addressing these challenges requires concerted efforts by all relevant stakeholders including governments, civil society organizations, the private sector and development partners. Gender equality and women’s empowerment also needs to be the cornerstone of both North-South and South-South bilateral cooperation. All development projects need to be re-evaluated through a gender lens with increased financing channeled towards those projects with clear outcomes on advancing gender equality.
I want to forward a challenge to the participants of the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum. Let us put our minds together and come up with innovative solutions that would allow us to not only envision but to realize an inclusive world where gender parity is the norm. Let us conceptualize concrete measures to accelerate the current rate of progress and dispel projections of the World Economic Forum which states it will take 132 years to close the global gender gap or the even grimmer predication of UN Women which puts achieving gender equality 286 years away.
I would like to conclude my remarks by once again thanking the organizers of the 5th Belt and Road Women’s Forum and wishing you fruitful deliberations. I will be eagerly awaiting to hear the outcomes and way forward. Thank you!
The theme of the forum, ‘She Power: Jointly Building and Sharing a Beautiful Life,’ reflects a focus on women’s unique contributions and empowerment within the context of the Belt and Road Initiative. Organized by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese, and the All-China Youth Federation, along with the People’s Government of Sanya City leadership, the forum brought together over 400 participants. These included the First Lady of Guyana, representatives from the United Nations, Nobel laureates in Physiology or Medicine, and ambassadors from Kyrgyzstan, Zambia, Maldives, Switzerland, Nepal, Guyana, Uganda, Mozambique, and various other countries, along with national and international business representatives.
During the forum, in-depth discussions and exchanges took place around the theme. Guests shared insights on the distinctive role played by women in the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. They highlighted the substantial achievements of women and looked forward to the future of the initiative, advocating for women’s empowerment to foster common development and prosperity in human society.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, the Belt and Road Women’s Forum has been instrumental in showcasing the unique role of women in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting comprehensive and sustainable development for women, and enhancing people-to-people connections among the participating countries. The forum has successfully established a platform for communication and collaboration among women across the Belt and Road countries, building bridges for mutual understanding and cooperation.
During the forum, in-depth discussions and exchanges took place around the theme. Guests shared insights on the distinctive role played by women in the ten years since the Belt and Road Initiative was launched. They highlighted the substantial achievements of women and looked forward to the future of the initiative, advocating for women’s empowerment to foster common development and prosperity in human society.
2023 marks the tenth anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative. Over the past decade, the Belt and Road Women’s Forum has been instrumental in showcasing the unique role of women in the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, promoting comprehensive and sustainable development for women, and enhancing people-to-people connections among the participating countries. The forum has successfully established a platform for communication and collaboration among women across the Belt and Road countries, building bridges for mutual understanding and cooperation.