UNMEE PARTICIPATE IN WOMEN'S DAY DISCUSSION IN ADDIS ABABA
Rural women in Ethiopia do not have adequate access to information about the
devastating impact of HIV/AIDS and this could have dire consequences for the
country , Minister of State for Information, Netsanet Asfaw warned at a panel
discussion on 8 March in Addis Ababa to mark International Women’s Day.
"The prevention of HIV/AIDS means not only
dealing with health and economic problems but it has become a matter that
decides whether or not this ancient land will have succeeding generations. So
our effort of preventing the spread of Aids has become an effort of life and
death," said Minister Netsanet
After
observing a one minute silence in memory of Ethiopian women who sacrificed their
lives in the struggle to end dictatorship and those women who have died from
HIV/AIDS, the Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, Gifti Abasiya in her
opening statement told the audience: “To bring about a situation where the
political, economic and social rights of women are respected and thereby to
benefit from it, sustaining life comes first. In the context of the many
problems and discrimination women suffer from in our society, it is worthwhile
to discuss the impact of AIDS, especially on women.”
UNDP’s
Deputy Resident Representative, Mrs Nileema Noble declared that “Women’s Day is every day” to rousing
applause from participants. Making the point that gender inequality and HIV/AIDS
are indivisibly linked, she added: “At the same time as women are most
vulnerable to infection, women are also key to reversing the epidemic. They
bring up the children, they teach them the values and norms of society, they
take care of the family, they take care of the sick, they can reverse the
epidemic. Yechalal! (we can do it).”
Mrs Noble added that the United Nations considered gender equality to be
of paramount importance and that this was reflected in its inclusion as one of
the eight Millennium Development Goals which had been endorsed by Ethiopia among
other Member States.
“Empowering women is a goal in itself, but it also plays a critical
role in achieving all the other goals, including,
not least , the Millennium
Development Goal to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015.
WOMEN'S MINISTER IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE
Gifti Abaysia, Ethiopia’s
Minister of State for Women’s Affairs is a born optimist. Though she admits
that these are difficult times for the women of her country, she is in doubt
that there will come a time when they will gain equality with men.
“One day women will come into decision-making positions at all levels
and one day they will be empowered. To bring this, there must be a struggle, a
strong struggle,” she insisted.
Minister Abaysia was speaking on 8th March, International
Women’s Day at a Panel Discussion to mark the day in Addis Ababa. She said
that the day was of great significance to Ethiopian women, most of whom were
still struggling for their human rights, democratic and political rights.
“In our country there is a women’s movement, so as a group and as
individuals we think International Women’s Day is important. It is part and
parcel of Ethiopian women’s holiday because we are still not empowered in all
things and because of this we still have to struggle,” she explained.
Her department which is within Prime Minster Meles Zenawi’s Office was
established in 19XX to co-ordinate and facilitate all gender issues in the
country. Her goal is to bring about equity and equality for the women of
Ethiopia by pushing for their advancement in all sections of society especially
in the field of education. She believes that with hard work, despite stiff
opposition, she and her colleagues can make significant changes in women’s
lives. She admits however that everyone including men should take part in the
struggle.