A High-Level Forum on Gender Equality and Women Empowerment in Ethiopia jointly organized by the Ministry of Women and Social Affairs, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Ethiopia and UNFPA took place today engaging Ethiopian Women Leaders in the presence of Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The High-Level Forum brought together Women Members of Parliament, Ministries, State Ministers, and other distinguished women leaders.
Making a remark on the occasion, H.E. Dr. Ergogie Tesfaye, Minister of Women and Social Affairs, highlighted the progress made in Ethiopia in promoting the participation of women in leadership and decision making. The Minister underscored the need to enhance the collective effort to advance women’s rights and representation in leadership and decision making in Ethiopia. Dr. Ergogie noted that the forum was a call to action to continue advancing women's rights and representation in Ethiopia.
Ms. Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, appreciated Ethiopia’s strong commitment for gender equality including in instituting gender policy reforms. Ms. Mohammed lauded Ethiopia’s receipt of the 2024 United Nations Population Award for its efforts to end child marriage and female genital mutilation, underscoring the power of strategic partnerships across various sectors. The Deputy Secretary-General emphasized the significance of the upcoming Summit of the Future in assessing progress and reinforcing commitments toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 5. She emphasized the importance of engagement of men and boys in the pursuit of gender equality and women empowerment.
During the forum, a brief dialogue session titled “Challenges and Opportunities for Advancing Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment in Ethiopia” was held involving H.E. Dr. Ergogie Tesfaye, Minister of Women and Social Affairs, Madam Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov, the UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ethiopia. Women leaders in the audience interacted with the three dignitaries during the dialogue session on issues pertaining to the key challenges faced by women leaders in Ethiopia.
