(3 July, 2023)
Mingalarbar everyone,
I wish all distinguished guests at this 2023 Myanmar Women’s Day ceremony health and happiness and auspiciousness.
Today, the 3rd of July 2023, is a significant day for all Myanmar women in the length and breadth of the country. It is also the Day on which outstanding women are honored. In this regard, I would like to heartily honor all the Myanmar women.
The State proclaimed the 3rd of July, on which Myanmar National Committee on Women-MNCW was established, as the Myanmar Women’s Day. In honor of the outstanding performance of Myanmar women and their admirable attributes, the country has been celebrating the Myanmar Women’s Day ceremony since 1998.
It is common knowledge that from the olden days till now, Myanmar women are enjoying equal rights as their male counterparts as per the international norms. Myanmar women are independently and actively playing their respective roles in protecting and promoting interest of the families, communities, country and people all along the successive periods on equal terms with men.
Many heroines came forward and took part in the independence struggle together with men throughout the colonial era. Nowadays, inspirable and honorable women, outstanding in economic, knowledge, technological, art fields, are also emerging in large numbers.
Ever rising role of women can be found everywhere from household chores, the most basic part of a woman’s duty, to multiple sectors and areas.
Female soldiers and police members who are brilliantly serving the national interest together with men as equals in national defense and security sectors can be found throughout the successive periods.
The State has formed the MNCW and region wise committees at different stages to realize the commitments to Myanmar women’s development in international and ASEAN levels. As a means to ensure socio economic progress of women, especially the young ones, tasks to improve women’s lives, provide equal rights for women to participate in multiple sectors together with men, and broaden the scope of the women’s sector must be carried out.
Myanmar signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and became its member in 1997. The country has already presented its fourth and fifth reports on progress in implementing the Convention to the UNCEDAW committee.
The sixth report that will be presented at the end of 2023 should include the country’s endeavors for women’s development and ensuring equal rights with men and safety of women in multiple sectors and areas on a more comprehensive scale.
Statistics of Union Civil Service Board show that the ratio of women’s participation in government departments is 26.2 percent in director general level, 43.3 percent in deputy director general level, 52.6 percent in director level, 56.6 percent in deputy director level, and 57 percent in assistant director level. These statistics stand witness to the sharp improvement of women’s performance in the public administration sector and gender equality.
According to the summarized report of the interim census in 2019, women’s literacy rate above 15 years old declined by six percent, and women’s labor force participant rate of the people above 15 years old slightly dips rather than that of men.
Such data showed requirements of raising the literacy rate for women, especially for socio economic life of the girls. It can be seen that it is necessary to improve capacity of workable women to enjoy the job opportunities.
Our government is especially striving for all youths to learn KG+9 scheme, and efforts must be made for all inclusive women to complete learning of KG+9 scheme.
As literacy and education qualification are related to job opportunities, it is necessary to give greater encouragement to women for learning modern education with modern technologies.
Moreover, they have to strive for achieving literacy and completion of learning. On the other hand, it is necessary to give vocational education including domestic science create to those who are weak in learning and create employment opportunities.
The theme “Digit ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” of the International Women’s Day which fell on 8 March 2023 aims to enable women and vulnerable groups to have technologies as part of fulfilling the requirements of women and creating the good potentials to further improve the gender equality.
It is necessary to enhance innovation, technology and digital knowledge, touch on technology and give technological training for meeting the sustainable development goals with benefits of technology through gender equality. Such a theme highlighted that protection of the rights of women and girls in the digital sector and tackling the online and technological gender violence.
Women representing the more than a half of total population of Myanmar are valuable human resources as well as an important force for building the Union based on democracy and federalism.
Myanmar women are taking responsibilities of the society on one hand and initiating the future of youths. In other words, they all are architects to turn out human resources for the future State.
In conclusion, I would like to urge all to improve women and girls in all sectors in carrying out development of the State through families and societies.
All women and men are harmoniously joining in the nation building tasks and expose capabilities of women with rights on the Myanmar Women’s Day which falls today.
Thanks you all.
