Standing for Women Empowerement

‘’It would have been impossible for the country to deal with these two challenges without the girls and women who became examples of a selfless sacrifice to keep family and societal balances! The Albanian woman has been, is and will remain a hero in the vortex of a history that has been less than generous with her. Allow me to remind you that communism marched into the lives of Albanians bearing the flag of emancipation for women, who had lived for centuries ostracised from social life in most of the country.

While it is impossible to address the mosaic of challenges faced by the Albanian woman, both in its historical and actual complexity, with all the mind-boggling changes of a new era, I will focus on the exceptional potential that the Albanian girls and women have to give a more qualitative contribution to the society, and to the advancement their representation at all levels. This, I believe, is one of those issues that tops the women agenda in every developed and developing country, therefore I believe that, given the Albanian reality, the two moments I will touch upon discuss are indeed meaningful’’, she said.

Albanian women have never been as educated as they are today. In our mothers’ generation, only 5% of the women had attained university education. Currently, figures speak of six times more girls and women between 25 and 39 years of age who boast a university degree. As we speak, there is no gender gap in compulsory education, giving us reason to come up with an optimistic projection that it will not be long before the narrow gender gap that still exists in secondary education is bridged. Girls who attend higher education nowadays are many more than boys and that would have been unthinkable a few decades ago.

She went on saying: 30% of the current MPs are women, 50% of the representatives of municipal councils in the country are women, 50% of Government ministers are women, who currently are at the helm in areas that women were never entrusted with before.

Currently, energy and infrastructure are led by a woman minister. The same goes for the finance and economy. Women are ministers of defence, justice, education, health, culture and relations with the Parliament.

The Ombudsperson is a woman, the Attorney General is a woman, the President of the High Judicial Council is a woman, and so is the Chair of the Independent Qualification Commission in charge of vetting judges and prosecutors. The Chair of the Special Appeal Chamber is a woman, the head of the Serious Crimes Prosecution is a woman, and so is the head of the largest prosecution office in the country, Tirana’s Office.

47% of the deputy ministers are women. 40% of the central institutions and 45% of the General Directorates are headed by women.

30% of the private business owners and administrators are women and more than 40% of the top management positions in private companies are filled by women.

Against this reality stands an enormous potential that builds on an entirely new perspective on women compared to the past in terms of the representation rates in administrative and political decision-making that are rather significant and encouraging; even impressive, I would say.

We expect them to use the strength of their example to impose as societal standards tolerance towards the other, solidarity with the other; the refusal to condone anyone who harms the others and to negotiate the essential respect for one another. They have this debt to repay to the society by creating new, clear and safe prospects for women and by gracefully healing thesocial environment for more tolerance and mutual respect.

“I will conclude by confessing that I am one of those who still believesthat every woman who feels inside herself that she can make a difference in the lives of people is clearly aware that after a long journey we are climbing a mountain whose peak seems still far away. And, from here on, what we must do together is persevere,combining passion and awareness free from fear and hesitation, facing all trials and tribulations looking for the peak we must reach as soon as we can”, Linda Rama said in her remarks to Global Woman Summit 2019 London.

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