The First Vice-President of the Government Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega today opened the 2nd European Summit on "Women in Power", together with the Spanish Minister for Equality, Bibiana Aído, and, the Minister for Women and Leader of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Harriet Harman.
This Summit, which is a joint initiative between the governments of Spain and the United Kingdom, coincides with the Spanish Presidency of the European Union. It has as its objective the establishment and fostering of new policies on the issue of equality.
During her speech, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega emphasized that "to work for effective equality, for non-discrimination, for the definitive incorporation of women into each and every area together with tasks and responsibilities of our society, is not, and indeed should not be, the heritage of any ideology, but in fact a demand for democratic quality".
She went on to highlight the specific case of Afghanistan, a region that calls for a special commitment from the international community. The Vice-President mentioned that new initiatives have been announced, supported by the international community to seek new ways to achieve peace, the basis of which is dialogue.
"There is no doubt that it is worthwhile considering this approach to dialogue and reintegration to achieve peace. It certainly has to be attempted" the Vice-President said. "A government, such as the one I represent, that has promoted the Alliance of Civilisations, can only stand behind that initiative.
However there is no doubt it has to be made very clear that women's rights, which are seriously undermined in that part of the world, should form part of the core of the basis for development and progress of Afghan society".
She also took advantage of the occasion to once again convey the Government's solidarity with the family of Private John Felipe Romero and all those who have lost their lives on Afghan soil in "A country where many countries are paying a high price in human lives to support the reconstruction of the country and to defend international peace and security".
Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega also underlined that in order for equality policies to be effective, they cannot be just policies of ideas, but rather also of presence. "To defend equality, to defend the principle of balanced presence, both in political representation as well as in all areas of power are a mandatory exercise of democratic decency and at the same time an important means for achieving greater equality in society".
The Vice-President also highlighted the role of women facing new challenges and problems raised by the globalised society because "equality is a sine qua non for just and balanced development".
In this respect, Europe still has some work to do. "In the world of business and employment in our countries we still come across very clear resistance to us holding responsible and decision making jobs, and furthermore the opportunities for employment are fewer for women than for men".
Lastly, she made special mention of the role of women in developing countries, reminding everyone that in March, Spain will be hosting the meeting of "Spanish and African Women for a Better World" in Valencia.