Skopje, 5 October 2023 (MIA) — North Macedonia's First Lady Elizabeta Gjorgievska will host a high-level regional conference titled "The Power of Choice: Realizing Bodily Autonomy for Women and Girls" organized in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund under the auspices of President Stevo Pendarovski.

According to an official press release, Gjorgievska will give the opening speech, followed by keynote addresses by Minister of Labor and Social Policy Jovanka Trenchevska; UNFPA's Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Florence Bauer; UN Resident Coordinator in North Macedonia Rossana Dudziak; and UNFPA's Deputy Executive Director Diene Keita.

Conference participants will discuss different topics in four panels related to the progress and challenges in realizing bodily autonomy for women and girls in the region. They will also debate how gender and social norms affect gender equality and bodily autonomy.

The First Ladies of Albania, Armanda Begaj, of Bosnia Mirela Becirovic, of North Macedonia Elizabeta Gjorgievska, of Serbia Tamara Vucic, and Slovenia's First Gentleman Ales Musar will take part in the last panel discussion.

Around 100 representatives from the country and from Eastern Europe and Central Asia will attend the conference, including representatives of the UN and civil society, policy makers, women leaders, experts, young people and other stakeholders.

"Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights are key for progressing toward gender equality and reaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Programme of Action adopted at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, Egypt, in 1994," organizers said. mr/