Ambassador Soreca's speech at the "Women empowerment is progress for all" event on International Women’s Day 2019

Dear Mr. Hila,

Mrs. Gjermeni,

Mrs. Hajdari,

citizens of Vau i Dejes, dear partners,

Thank you for your warm welcoming today on this special event.

The agenda behind celebrating 8th of March is to empower women for their social, political, religious, and cultural rights. And, simultaneously it also calls for “Gender Equality”.

We are all born equal and we all are born with the same rights “Human Rights”- which are at the heart of the European Union and its relation with Albania.

This day reminds us of all the contributions, achievements and challenges of women in the society. It is celebrated to show the respect, care and place we owe to them in society.

I am glad to know that Women’s Day in Albania is also celebrated in schools and universities alongside with the 7th of March (in Albania known as the Teacher’s Day). It is also part of the curriculum in order to spread the knowledge and awareness to the young generation on the significance of women empowerment, their position in the society and their challenges and achievements.

Gender equality is a foundation for an equitable and inclusive sustainable development, which will not take place if half of the population in Albania is left behind.  Providing women and girls with equal opportunities and access to education, health care, decent work, representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel sustainable economies and benefit to all the society.

Women and girls are calling out the abusive behaviour and discriminatory attitudes they face. They are insisting on lasting change. This is what women and girls want.

And it is what every sensible man and boy should want too. 

Women’s participation makes societies more resilient and economies more vigorous.   But, we still need to break the structural barriers that women and girls face – unpaid care work, unequal pay, harmful stereotypes, discrimination and violence. 

We all need not only to speak out and stand in solidarity with women and girls, survivors of violence, but also to intensify efforts to find solutions to prevent such phenomena with a detrimental impact on women's and girls' lives and health.

Shameful comments, disrespect of ambitions and intellect, the belief that you can do anything you want to a girl or a woman is cruel, and it hurts not only women but the whole society.

In our societies, boys are taught to take risks. Most girls are taught to avoid risks and failure, they are taught to smile pretty, play safe, get all the best grades at school; on the other side boys are taught to play rough, climb at the top of a mountain and jump off, be the first in the family.

My message to parents today is - Teach girls bravery and not perfectionism.

Teach boys sensitivity, teach boys that a good man, a real one is the one who shows care and loves his wife, his daughter and his sister.

Breaking the stereotypes, breaking the culture of silence is the first step to transforming the culture of gender-based violence and start building a balanced, empowered society.  

I take this opportunity to appeal to each and every girl and woman to come forward and raise their voice against violence and let their stories be heard.

I also want to appeal to boys and men to take a stand against domestic violence.

Allow me a special message to young people.

Whether you come from Vau i Dejes, Lezha or Shkodra, your success will be determined by your own confidence and fortitude. You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because many good examples have shown that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.

You are the main engine, you are the agents of change in your family and in your community. You can break the mentality of violence, initiate societal reconstruction, and apply European values towards gender equality and human rights.

I have been given this opportunity to be here today and I am extremely glad since this is an opportunity for me to thank all those women who also have played an important role in my life.

I probably never wish verbally these ladies a happy ‘International Women’s Day’, but deep inside my heart I thank them every day for being in my life and shaping it the way it is today.