Gender equality takes centre stage |21 November 2008

  
Mrs Bru addressing guests and delegates at the launch of the conference

The report is the national contribution to a larger sub-regional gender strategy being developed by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) to assess the current situation on gender equality in the five countries of the region and to look at ways of dealing with them jointly.

The meeting was organised by the Gender Unit in the Ministry of Health and Social Development in partnership with the IOC.

It was led by an international consultant for the region, Edda van den Berg, along with local consultant Yanick Bru, who is in charge of putting together the national draft report.

Delegates at the meeting have either contributed information directly to the report or have made documents and other material available.

During her four-day stay, Miss van den Berg has been holding meetings with leading figures in government, the private sector and civil society as part of moves to complete the report.

Launching the meeting, principal secretary for social development Anne Lafortune said the local gender report “is a testimony to strides made towards moving closer to achieving gender equality and equity in Seychelles”.

She said the latest figures from the United Nations Human Development Report “rank Seychelles 50th in the world and place it among countries with a high development ranking”.

“These achievements did not happen by accident but through concerted and committed efforts by the government to ensure that equality is a reality for all,” she added.

“This is evident in our Constitution and in many of our domestic laws, which guarantee the human rights of men, women and children.”

Mrs Lafortune warned that “equality before the law does not always mean equality in real-life circumstances”, adding that the goal of gender empowerment is complex and challenging.
 
“This is why I commend the preparation of this report, which sheds light on some of the persistent gaps and weaknesses requiring redress.”

She called on delegates to ensure the report becomes an important tool to inform decision- and policy-making in the country and the region, saying Seychelles has much to share with its Indian Ocean neighbours and much to learn from them.