Speech by the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Ms Josie Christodoulou, at the press conference on the Implementation Progress of the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2024-2026

From:

Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality

29/04/25 14:25 | Speech / Address | Commissioners

I welcome you to today’s press conference to present the implementation progress of the National Strategy for Gender Equality, which began in January 2024 and will be in force until 2026. Today, we will present the actions that were implemented in the last 15 months, as well as actions for which implementation preparations have begun or are at an advanced stage.

As you know, last July, our Office was established and upgraded by a law, which defines its role and responsibilities, including the formulation, coordination and evaluation of the implementation of the National Strategy for Gender Equality, as well as the National Action Plan for Women, Peace and Security, which concerns the implementation of United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1325.

It is important to emphasise that, while the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the two policy documents fall within the competence of our Office, its implementation is a collective and multi-level task. Our philosophy is based on continuous democratic dialogue and the active participation of all. With the cooperation, therefore, of all ministries and deputy ministries, the gender equality officers appointed in each of them and through consultation and joint actions of our Office, social partners, the private sector, the academic and business community, women’s organisations and civil society, we are implementing the Strategy’s horizontal, targeted actions as well as additional actions with the aim of achieving full and substantive equality between women and men in our country. Both the strategy and all other actions are aligned with the policies of the government under the heading “promotion of equality between women and men”.

Dear friends,

In the context of all the actions we implement, our approach is holistic and substantive. We implement policies and actions that cover the entire spectrum of activity, and which complement each other. Practical and targeted actions, based on data collection and the identification of needs following research, including the special publication by the Statistical Service titled “Gender Statistics” of March 2023, the new edition of which is expected in June.

In the process of designing and implementing actions, we utilise the tool of gender mainstreaming, so that the result has a positive impact on both genders and maximum effectiveness. The implementation of some actions is continuous and will be enriched.

Gender and Economy

A long-standing request has been a gendered state budget, the process of which has begun. The preparation of a gender-responsive state budget aims at the equitable distribution of public resources and the benefits of economic growth, the reduction of poverty and gender inequalities, and the equal participation of men and women in the economy and public life. The implementation of the project is based on existing statistics concerning, among others, the labor force and the gender pay and pension gap, as well as on statistics that are constantly being developed within the framework of our Strategy. In the first stage of the project’s implementation, intensive, structured trainings were carried out for officials of involved ministries with expertise and guidance from the relevant department of the European Union (EU).

Based on the work done and the expertise provided, our Office is preparing a guide to be used by all government agencies, which will include a specific methodology for including a gender perspective in the design of new and the evaluation of existing fiscal policies.

The importance of mainstreaming gender horizontally, in all policy areas, is also reflected in the government’s recent proposals in the context of tax reform. These include tax relief proposals, for example, for both parents in the case of families, based on the number of dependent children and students, as well as a proposal to grant single-parent families the same relief that would apply to families with two parents. These measures encourage women’s more active participation in the labour market and at the same time contribute to improving their living standards.

Gender, labour and reconciliation of personal, family and professional life

As you know, the goal of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance is to reduce unemployment and increase the country’s labour force. According to the latest statistics from the ministry, unemployment dropped to 4.9%, increasing the percentage of working women by 5.2%.

At the same time, we promote equal access to employment and the balanced representation of women and men in all sectors of activity, as well as in leadership, through actions at various levels:

The reconciliation of personal, family and professional life is an important element in promoting the equal, active participation of women in the labour market. The obligations arising from their multiple, simultaneous stereotypical roles often prevent them from developing and utilising their potential and skills and from engaging in public affairs.

In this direction, the actions of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth, the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance and the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare include:

increasing maternity leave by four (4) weeks for the first child,
gradual extension of compulsory preschool education from the age of four (4) and gradual extension of full-day school,
extension of parental leave up to the age of 15,
extension of parental leave allowance for the second, third and each subsequent child, and provision of parental leave allowance to self-employed parents,
creation of new or expansion of existing nursery schools for children up to four (4) years of age and multipurpose child care centers. Eleven projects have already been approved and the relevant procedures are progressing.
Following the Action Plan for 2024, which we prepared with the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, yellow-marked parking spaces for families with strollers and for pregnant women are being created outside a number of municipal buildings, as well as breastfeeding rooms in city halls and baby changing tables in men’s toilets. The Action Plan for 2025 has also been formulated, calling on municipal authorities, among other things and in addition to the actions of the previous plan, to adopt a code of prevention of and response to sexual harassment and to sign a declaration of zero tolerance for sexist and harassing behaviours. The goal is to create a gendered culture.

With the aim of achieving gender equality in the operation of businesses, we are collaborating with business organisations as follows:

Our Office and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) jointly developed an “Action Plan for Gender Equality”. Through specific actions, which are set out in the form of recommendations, we promote gender equality in corporate practices at all levels of the organisations’ operation and the creation of a gendered work environment.
Recently, we also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ETEK) with the aim of strengthening women’s participation and addressing discrimination and prejudice in the workplace in the fields of engineering and technical professions. The Memorandum includes, inter alia, the development of information programmes for engineering disciplines, which will be implemented for the needs of secondary education in relation to the subject and employment opportunities, as well as experiential workshops aimed at raising awareness in relation to prejudice and gender inequality in engineering professions.
Cooperation will also begin soon, through a Memorandum, with the Cyprus Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB).
It is important to mention that, since I took office, I have visited dozens of companies in order to discuss in depth issues of equality between women and men, practices and measures to promote equality in the workplace.

Gender and Education

In the context of the necessary deconstruction of gender stereotypes and the cultivation of a gender equality culture from an early age, we focus on schools. Career counsellors receive training on gender equality issues, so that they can guide students in choosing a career path based on their skills and wishes, and not on stereotypical roles for boys and girls. The Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth through its special action plan for equality, has also enriched the content of educational programmes with actions that promote empathy, gender equality and the prevention of violence against women.

Gender and Rural Development, Gender and Energy

With the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, we started symbolically, by adding a woman to the logo of the Common Agricultural Policy, recognising the contribution of women farmers. We proceeded to implement training programmes for rural women and women farmers with the aim of strengthening female entrepreneurship. Around 70 women have been trained in the areas of Agros, Kakopetria and Agios Theodoros, Larnaka.
The Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, in collaboration with our Office, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and the Offices of the Commissioner for the Environment and Animal Welfare and the Commissioner for the Development of Mountain Communities, is implementing digital education programmes for rural women.
The next action for rural women and women farmers will concern their financial education. Through all these programmes, entrepreneurship, economic independence and professional networking of rural women are strengthened.

Regarding energy policies, I would first like to explain why it is important to take the gender dimension into account in energy policies. Mainstreaming gender is important, as it allows us to identify and address differences in the energy needs and priorities of men and women, ensuring equality in access to resources and opportunities. Also, by taking into account the specific social and economic conditions that affect genders differently, the effectiveness of these policies is enhanced. To this end, we have proceeded with an important action which has also been completed, a study on the different impact of the energy crisis on women and men. The study will contribute to effectively mainstreaming gender in energy policies.

Gender and Research and Innovation

In addition to the above-mentioned action, the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy is proceeding with the collection and processing of gender statistical data on participation in the fields of research, innovation and cybersecurity promoting equal representation and gender mainstreaming in these fields. A notable development through our collaboration with the Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) is the removal of the masculine term in the Greek title of the initiative “βραδιά του ερευνητή”, maintaining the English title “researcher’s night”, while in the description the Greek text became inclusive by using both the masculine and feminine terms (ερευνητές/ερευνήτριες).

Gender and Sports

With the Cyprus Sports Organisation (CSO), we have established the Ambassador for Gender Equality in Sports, for a two-year term, who will act as a role model and play a key role in promoting gender equality at all levels of sport. The first Ambassador is Ms Elena Papazoglou, formerly a sailing athlete and since 2006 technical advisor to the Cyprus Sailing Federation. Between 2017-2024, she was elected twice as President of the Women’s Forum of World Sailing.
As part of our efforts to achieve gender equality in sports, we seek and strengthen cooperation with sports bodies. As a follow-up to the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023 between our Office and the Cyprus Basketball Federation (CBF), the CBF has proceeded to equalise pay for women’s and men’s national teams, as also provided by law, and has already conducted training for male and female basketball coaches, judges and referees on gender equality issues. It is also proceeding with the adoption of a code regarding sexual harassment.
We also maintain an open dialogue with the Cyprus Sports Organisation (CSO) and the Cyprus Football Association (CFA) on issues such as increased CFA sponsorship of women’s football clubs, the repair by the CFA of infrastructure so as to ensure conditions of safety, respect and dignity for female athletes, following the submission on the part of clubs of their specific needs and their estimated cost, and the construction of new facilities which address specific needs of female athletes.

Gender and Shipping

In order to understand and address the underrepresentation of women in the shipping sector, we proceeded with the Shipping Deputy Ministry and the Statistical Service to record the workforce by gender in the relevant professions.
A study was also conducted to identify the needs and perceptions of men and women in shipping professions.

These studies will guide us in jointly formulating policies and actions that favour the creation of a gendered environment in these professions.

Gender and Decision-Making Positions

With the aim of promoting a balanced representation of women and men in decision-making centres, we are proceeding with the transposition into our national law of the European Directive on the balanced participation of women and men in management positions and on the boards of directors of companies listed on the Cyprus Stock Exchange, by amending the Companies Law. The process has begun and the aim is for the underrepresented gender to constitute 40% of non-executive directors and 33% of all directors.
Our Office has completed the collection of data for the creation of a digital registry of women politicians. The registry reflects the recognition of women’s contribution to the political life of our country, from the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus until today, and strengthens the effort for gender equality in a traditionally male-dominated field. The registry is a dynamic process, as it will be enriched with new policy areas with female representation.
Every year, we announce an essay writing contest titled “What would I change if I were a minister for a day”, which is addressed to 2nd and 3rd grade students of public, private and technical high schools. The winners have the opportunity to follow the activities of a minister for a day and discuss his/her work.

Gender and Media

We are about to announce the first gender equality contest for journalists with the aim of recognising and rewarding work on gender equality issues which contributes to stimulating interest and public debate on the issue. The contest will be held every two years. Collaborating bodies are the Cyprus Radio Television Authority, the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee, and the Union of Cyprus Journalists.
In collaboration with the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee and the Union of Cyprus Journalists, we are preparing the structure and content of a media workshop, with the aim of raising awareness and enhance the media’s contribution to the deconstruction of gender stereotypes and prejudice and the identification of good media practices in the coverage of gender issues (e.g. gendered language) and in equal gender representation.

Gender and Culture

The Deputy Ministry of Culture has initiated the recording of Cypriot female directors and their work and Cypriot women professionals in technical fields in the film industry. The action aims to recognise and highlight Cypriot female creators and film professionals and their work through the evolution of Cypriot filmmaking. The aim is to make the work of both genders visible and to promote corrective actions in order to reduce possible gender gaps.

Gender and Health

The provision of midwifery home services to women in the postpartum period, through the State Health Services Organisation (SHSO), contributes to the provision of essential interventions and professional support for the successful handling of various issues new mothers face at home. Midwifery services are provided without referral and cover a total of six (6) visits.
In reception centres, the Asylum Service provides information to asylum seekers on contraceptive methods. Similar information will be provided to other focus groups.

Gender and Foreign Policy

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs promotes actions within the framework of development cooperation, as well as our country’s voluntary contributions. Specifically, for 2024, 52% of Cyprus’ total voluntary contributions were paid to international organisations active in women’s empowerment.
As a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the period 2025-2027 and as a full member of the International Organisation of Francophonie, our country promotes gender equality as a priority. In the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, our main priority will be combating violence against girls.
Bilateral cooperation programmes on gender equality are also being implemented with Jordan and Egypt, with which a Memorandum of Understanding on the Economic Empowerment of Women in Tourism and Support for the Women’s Complaints Bureau was signed, within the framework of the Cyprus-Egypt Intergovernmental Summit.
Our country, through the institution of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, has assumed, since last February, a leading role in the EmpowerMed Women network of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum (EMGF). The Commissioner’s leading role in the network’s executive committee is yet another form of recognition of the Cyprus government’s action to promote gender equality in all sectors and at an international level.

Gender and Defence

In collaboration with the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the National Guard, training programmes on equality issues have been completed for all levels of personnel of the Ministry of Defence while similar programmes are being planned for the National Guard.
In order to identify potential difficulties and obstacles based on the different needs of women and men, the process of mapping the needs and knowledge/skills of men and women in the National Guard and the Ministry of Defence is underway. The findings will contribute, among other things, to ensuring a gendered environment in the military.
This section also includes actions within the framework of the national action plan for our country’s compliance with Security Council Resolution 1325, “Women, Peace and Security”, which I will refer to below.

Actions in the Framework of Implementation of Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security”

This year marks the 25^th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, Peace and Security”. Monitoring the implementation of the national action plan for the implementation of the resolution falls within the competence of our Office. The Resolution, which unfortunately remains relevant, emphasises, among other things, the different impact of war on women and girls, the need for their participation in decision-making centres during conflicts, in peace processes and in security.

Among other things:

A Military Advisory Council for the Promotion of Gender Equality was established, which aims to promote policies to increase women’s representation at all levels of the military and ensure gender mainstreaming in its actions.
The Council also acts as a Gender Equality Committee to prevent harassment and sexual harassment within the military, as well as to eliminate stereotypes that sustain discrimination, inequality and gender-based violence.
A Guide of Conduct for military and civilian personnel participating in missions was developed, which includes obligations to ensure respect for the rights of women and girls during conflicts and peace processes.

Other Actions

Campaigns

Our Office also carries out information and awareness-raising campaigns to strengthen women’s participation and leadership in all sectors of activity, and collaborates with ministries and deputy ministries in the context of their own campaigns.

Specifically:

Every year, under the umbrella title “HER Story”, we launch campaigns that concern sectors in which women are underrepresented. In 2023, the campaign concerned the STEAM sector, last January we ran the “Women in Shipping” campaign which will be followed by “Women in Diplomacy”, later this year.
Our Office also collaborates effectively with the Ministry of Justice and Public Order in the context of the latter’s annual campaign to address violence against women.

Electronic Library

The first edition of the electronic library on gender equality and the history of the Women’s Movement in Cyprus will soon be completed. It will be available to the public through our Office’s new website.

The Combating of Sexism Law

Our Office is also responsible for monitoring the implementation of the combating sexism and online sexism law, and collaborates with relevant state bodies in this context. In addition, through actions aimed at awareness and prevention, we contribute to the effort to eliminate the phenomenon.

National Machinery for Women’s Rights (NMWR)

I would be remiss, if I did not mention the work of the NMWR, the advisory body to the government, chaired by the Commissioner for Gender Equality. Given the importance that the government attaches to the Machinery’s work, it has also been legally established through the Commissioner for Gender Equality Law.

This year, its budget was increased, covering actions undertaken upon the submission of a relevant application by women’s and civil society organisations. Following a revision of the Funding Scheme, these actions concern the promotion of women’s rights and are consistent with and complement the priorities of the strategy. As I have already mentioned, the goal is to work in a targeted manner so as to jointly have the best possible result.

The Machinery’s action and the continuous dialogue and coordination with our Office contribute significantly to the broader effort for equality between men and women.

Dear friends,

We know that the road towards full and substantive gender equality in our society is neither easy nor short. However, steps have been taken and we are building on what has been achieved. Our country has been upgraded in the indicators of the European Institute for Gender Equality (from 21^st to 20^th place among the 27 member states), in the World Economic Forum report (from 106^th to 86^th place) and in the UN report in relation to gender equality and the Sustainable Development Goals (39^th place).

In order to accelerate the promotion of gender equality, we have also created a civil society platform with the participation of broader civil society organisations for the purpose of evaluating the implementation progress and actions of the strategy.

Finally, a bill on gender mainstreaming in the public and broader public sector has been prepared. Following public consultation, it is currently under legislative review. The aim is, in the context of policy formulation, to take into account the different impact they will have on men and women. At the same time, gender-disaggregated statistics concerning public services will also contribute to effective policy making.

Our Office, in collaboration with all ministries/deputy ministries and stakeholders across the entire spectrum of activity, women’s organisations, civil society organisations, academic institutions and businesses, will continue to implement the strategy by working methodically and hard. Because gender equality is not only a matter of women’s human rights; it is the key to a strong economy and a more just society.

Thank you.

(AA/MS/KA)

Speech by the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Ms Josie Christodoulou, at the press conference on the Implementation Progress of the National Strategy for Gender Equality 2024-2026

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