Director Sabra Bano delivers speech at EU Parliament

Media release

19 March 2014, The Hague, the Netherlands

Gender Concerns International Director Sabra Bano delivers speech at European Parliament event in Brussels in support of women’s democratic inclusion in Egypt

‘‘Where Women Prosper, Societies Prosper”

(Catherine Ashton, EU High Representative, in a written statement delivered at
Gender Concerns International Women’s Day event in Tripoli, Libya on 8 March)

(Sabra Bano, second from left, in Brussels on Monday. Photo courtesy of EU)

Sabra Bano, Director of Gender Concerns International, highlighted the importance of inclusive electoral participation for women in the MENA-region as she discussed the upcoming elections in Egypt from a gender perspective. Ms Bano was a featured speaker on Monday 17 March at a roundtable and interactive dialogue on the ‘International Observation of Egypt’s Referendum – Challenges Ahead’. The event at the European Parliament was hosted by Ms Eija-Riitta Korhola, Member of the European Parliament and organised by the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD).

Ms Bano highlighted that although women bravely played their parts in the protests against Mubarak in 2011 at Tahrir Square, their equality within political processes is still far from reality. She emphasized that ongoing inclusive electoral participation is so crucial in Egypt, and that ‘in monitoring elections, as the GNRD has acknowledged, there are various challenges and issues to consider. These include ensuring women are voting and are aware of elections, complying with national electoral management bodies, and issues surrounding security forces in planning, conducting and management of the elections’.

Along with MEP Eija-Riitta Korhola, other speakers at the event were Mr Ramadan Abu Jazar, Director of GNRD-Brussels and the Head of the Observation Mission to Egypt, Mr Jacek Wlosowicz (MEP), Mr Maged Mosleh, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Brussels

Gender Concerns is pleased to see the development of the new Egyptian constitution which includes increased protection of women’s rights. The full text of Director Ms Bano’s speech is available on the Gender Concerns website by clicking here, or at the following URL:

http://genderconcerns.org/article.phpid_nr=3992&id=Gender%20Concerns%20
speech%20at%20EU%20Parliament%20in%20Brussels

Gender Concerns International

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