Year of women ended but work continues: NCW head

CAIRO – 22 March 2018: National Council for Women (NCW) President Maya Morsi hailed the achievements made concerning women during President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s first term.

During her speech on the occasion of Mother’s Day, Morsi contended that the army represents Egypt’s first line of defense, while the police are the second and women are the third.

“The Egyptian government is still moving ahead with more development projects and carrying out radical development reforms, at the time that some countries are looking at reconstruction,” Morsi said.

"There is a great political will to stand in favor of women,” Morsi said, adding that there is an ongoing collaboration with the NCW and state institutions in this regard.

“We have broken the glass ceiling by having the first female to ever be appointed as a national security advisor, a governor and a deputy governor of the central bank,” Morsi said, also highlighting that women currently have the highest parliamentarian representation. She added that “we are looking to have 30 percent of the parliament, the government and judicial institutions allocated to women.”

Egypt can rank 88 among the best countries in the world for women’s rights through eliminating early marriages, increasing women’s participation in the workforce and having more women assuming senior positions, Morsi said.

"The year of the Egyptian women historically ended, but there is still plenty of work left to be done,” Morsi concluded.

In a related context, President Sisi stressed that the government has laid down a comprehensive strategy to empower women in all walks of life, contending that such a notion is at the heart of Egypt’s ambitious vision for 2030.

Female MPs are granted 25 seats in parliament, and female ministers make-up 20 percent of the government, Sisi said, expecting that such quotas are expected to increase in the upcoming period.

He also noted that the government has long worked to promote social protection programs for Egyptian families, and to empower women.

President Sisi honored women across the country during the Mother’s Day celebration, which saw the attendance of Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, in addition to a number of ministers and senior state officials.

Among the women honored were those who occupy honorable roles and positions in various fields, as well as women with disabilities.

Mother's Day is celebrated in Egypt on March 21 every year, as in much of the Arab world.