08 March 2017 | State House.
Message of President Danny Faure
on the occasion of International Women’s Day
On this 8th of March, Seychelles is proud to join the global community in celebrating International Women’s Day.
This is a day to honour and celebrate the women in our lives. A day to recognise their role and dedication in our families and communities. A day to show appreciation for their contribution and hard work towards our socio- economic progress.
This year’s theme ‘Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50:50 by 2030’ allows us to appreciate the progress that has been made towards the realisation of greater gender equality in Seychelles.
This is nowhere more evident than in the area of employment where women are given the same opportunities as men to learn and build their capacities, to participate and perform at every level and to aspire to fulfill their dreams, knowing that there are no barriers to what they can achieve professionally.
We must however not be complacent or turn a blind eye to situations that are detrimental to the interests and rights of our women. We must continue to ensure that gender concerns are addressed at all levels and integrated in all our policies.
This is necessary if we are to focus on the persistent challenges that many women still face, including that of balancing their role as mothers as well as being in full time employment. We should all be aware of these challenges that impact predominantly on our women and more importantly we should all commit ourselves to changing the situation.
It is in recognition of this and to continue finding ways to empower and support the advancement of our women, that to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day, I am hosting a special cabinet meeting to discuss issues that they generally face in relation to their varying roles in society as well as specific matters impacting on their personal and professional lives.
I am a firm believer in the limitless potential of women to bring about transformative change and I remain confident that securing greater gender equality for them, will not only benefit them but will ensure progress for everyone as well.
I wish all of the women a happy and blessed day.
