Under the patronage of H.E Sheikha Hanouf Bader Al Muhamad Al Sabah, spouse to H.E Minister of Foreign Affairs, Honorary President of the International Women’s Group- Kuwait, IWG celebrated International Women’s Day with the participation of four inspiring and distinguished women leaders. The members and Executive Board of the IWG were honored to have as key speakers, HE Madam Nabeela Abdulla Al Mulla, retired Ambassador from the State of Kuwait; HE Madam Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak; Ambassador of Turkey to the State of Kuwait; HE Madam Elena Romanowski Ambassador of United States to the State of Kuwait; HE Madam Anne Claire Legendre Ambassador of France to the State of Kuwait.
Mrs. Ambreen Mustafa, the spouse of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and president of IWG, delivered the welcome speech and thanked the distinguished speakers for their contributions. Her opening remarks celebrated the successes of women and acknowledged the hardships of disproportionate abuse and violence that women still face worldwide. She reminded members of the importance of solidarity and quoted the famous poet Maya Angelou: “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly without claiming it, she stands up for all women”.
HE Madam Nabeela Abdulla Al Mulla, Kuwait’s and the GCC’s first woman Ambassador, enlightened members with some of the invaluable experiences of her ground-breaking career, taking special care to acknowledge the mentorship of her enlightened mother in encouraging her to pursue her career as a diplomat.
HE Madam Nabeela Abdulla Al Mulla lauded the selfless efforts of all women, especially nurses and lower schoolteachers who tend to be predominantly women as frontline workers, and proposed that a worldwide campaign should be in place to address their concerns. She concluded her presentation on a positive note about the vaccine and the hope it brings to the world. On the local Kuwaiti scene, she said: “I register with pride the participation of women as doctors, nurses, educators and volunteers in a society like many others, trying to overcome the pandemic.”
HE Madam Ayse Hilal Sayan Koytak, Ambassador of Turkey to the State of Kuwait spoke of how the pandemic has highlighted both the centrality of women’s contribution as well as the disproportionate burden that women carry.
While “today there is more acceptance than ever before that women bring different experiences, perspective and skills to the table”, there is still much work to be done in acknowledging women’s roles. Noting that the pursuit of gender equality yields benefits for whole societies she affirmed that Turkey is committed to women’s equality and rights, stating that in the past nineteen years the country’s female force participation rate had increased by 10 % and women now make up 17.5% of the Turkish Parliament and over 50% of University staff. She also pointed out that as a woman Ambassador she feels privileged to work in Kuwait, saying : “Women in Kuwait are amongst the most emancipated in our region, women form 46% of those employed in the country and are seen in every sector of the economy and play an important role in society and the administrative life of the country.”
As a sign of solidarity with women around the world, the members then enjoyed a song recorded especially for International Women’s Day in 2013 by 25 singers and musicians from over 20 different countries.
HE Madam Elena Romanowski, Ambassador of the United States of America to the State of Kuwait delivered her well wishes and congratulations to all women by saying, “on International Women’s Day we honor the achievement of women throughout history and across the globe. It is a day that brings us all together regardless of our nationality. It is also a day to renew our commitment to the pursuit of equality for all and to work towards a better future for our girls who will become the leaders of tomorrow.”
She also acknowledged the sacrifices made by so many women healthcare workers on the front line who everyday place others before themselves; she extended her gratitude to these women and pioneering women who, as she said, continue to move the needle forward for us all. She concluded by saying: “I am humbled to see so many change-makers here in Kuwait and can’t wait to see more”.
HE Madam Anne Claire Legendre Ambassador of France to the State of Kuwait in her speech reiterated the importance of working collaboratively towards gender equality. She pointed to an analysis done by the World Economic Forum stating that given existing conditions, gender equality will be achieved in 150 years. Obviously, that timeline is untenable. France is committed to gender equality and has made it a priority. As part of their commitment and drive, they will be hosting the Gender Equality Forum in Paris this summer. They hope to be able to welcome Kuwait to the Forum, which will be a historic and collaborative meeting point to move forward towards substantive and sustainable equality, by tackling the issues and challenges that are still affecting women around the world.
The French Ambassador went on to highlight many important points in the advancement towards gender equality and spoke of some of her own personal experiences, noting that mentorship is a wonderful and necessary tool, and that all women must remain vigilant against self-censorship and always remember to push for the change they want to see.
The proceedings concluded with special thanks to the honored Ambassadors who participated in this special event, and Environmental Engineer Ms. Hiba Al Farra who shed light on the importance of sustainability and the role women can play in protecting our environment.
Volunteers, online participants, and board members were also appreciated for making this event a great success.
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