Skopje, 14 October 2022 (MIA) - Women are powerful agents of change and the far-reaching benefits of diversity and gender equality in leadership and decision-making are increasingly recognized in all spheres of social life. We need to have more women in leadership positions, because the only way to achieve real prosperity in society is through gender equality between men and women, heard international conference "Women in Foreign Policy", organized October 13-14 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski. Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska said cooperation is the first step towards creating conditions for improving conditions in any sphere of our lives. "I am strongly convinced that in these complex times, investing in gender equality as well as promoting women's leadership will contribute to responsible inclusive policies that will address and solve problems and raise the level of social protection," said Minister Trenchevska. She added that as a candidate country for European Union membership, but also as an active member of the Council of Europe, North Macedonia shares the commitment to ensure an adequate level of social protection, especially for the most vulnerable groups. "The Covid pandemic, in addition to the danger to the health system and people's health, also brought an increase in family and gender-based violence. That is why we focus on the fight against gender-based violence, as well as family violence, through the promotion of protection and prevention mechanisms. Violence against women and domestic violence cannot be considered a private matter," Trenchevska added. She emphasized that the state, through comprehensive integrated policies, is resolutely committed to the prevention and protection of victims of gender-based violence against women and girls. "We are aware that in order to fight and protect everyone, even more efforts are needed, as well as partnership and cooperation, because this is not only a national problem, this is a global problem. Women are powerful agents of change, and the far-reaching benefits of diversity and gender equality in leadership and decision-making are increasingly being recognized in all spheres of social life," said Trenchevska. Gender equality in the country, she added, is a legal obligation and is part of the Government's program for the period 2020/24. Trenchevska informed that North Macedonia is among the countries that have the highest percentage of participation of women on the candidate electoral lists - 40 percent, and they are working on achieving 50 percent. She reminded that the Gender Equality Strategy 2022/27 was adopted and an action plan with two-year priorities is being prepared. "The vision of the strategy is to achieve gender equality in society, in which women and men, girls and boys, have equal rights, access to resources, opportunities and protection in all spheres of life, as a condition for an overall and sustainable economic demographic social development and progress of the country," noted Trenchevska. In her video address to the conference, First Lady Elizabeta Gjorgievska said that women's participation in politics and security is recognized as a human right, necessary for global progress. "The last two decades have been marked by efforts to improve normative work and policies for better equality, which has led to the improvement of the position of women and the advancement of gender equality. But gender inequalities are still expressed in all relevant areas for achieving equal social status, influence, well-being of women and men," said Gjorgievska. She said that in addition to the burden of performing professional duties, women also have responsibilities in the home, which is the second unpaid job that every woman has. "The crisis in Ukraine once again confirmed to us that women and men are affected differently by conflicts. Ukrainian women face barriers to their economic, civic and political participation, have poor health conditions and are exposed to violence. To be able to talk about gender equality, additional steps and measures are needed. In order to achieve gender equality, it is necessary to effectively incorporate gender perspectives into all social flows, policies and practices," said Gjorgievska. According to her, the only way to achieve true prosperity in society is through equality between men and women in all spheres of public and private life. Deputy Foreign Minister Fatmire Isaki noted that a multilateral system is key to achieving gender equality and reducing the gap for women's rights. "We need to use multilateral organizations, whether they are regional or global, as an opportunity to make a big change in the promotion and implementation of women's rights at the highest possible level," said Isaki. dk/ik/