The Ministry of Equality marked International Women’s Day with a morning conference attended by representatives from the public and private sector, NGOs and charitable sector, and the public.

This year’s International Women’s Day, marked by the United Nations on the 8th March, has the theme ‘For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality. Empowerment.’ The conference opened with an address by the Minister for Equality, Christian Santos, who spoke passionately about the importance of allyship and the need for a diverse demographic to tackle gender equality issues.

The conference began with presentations from young people; Jessie Chipol Nunez and Isabelle Ramos from Bayside School, Alice Walker from the Gibraltar College, Caitlyn Bautista from Westside School, and Neela Cunningham and Rebecca Byrne from the Youth Service’s Youth Symposium. These presentations captured young people’s views on a range of gender equality issues.

The conference also showcased the Ministry of Equality’s Women’s Mentorship Programme with a presentation by Marlene Dalli.

Ms Dalli facilitated the first panel discussion, ‘The Power of PAAMOA’, the Physical Activities Association for Mature Older Adults charity.  Chair Marie Carmen Vallejo, Promotional Secretary Jane Pizarro and the GSLA’s Michelle Turner discussed the origins of the charity, its aims, goals and vision for the future.

Two video presentations captured personal testimonies of older women, highlighting the changes and important milestones they have witnessed in their lifetimes with regards to women’s rights, to include equal pay for equal work, voting rights and access to education.

Moderated by Davina Barbara and featuring Dr Reena Virdi from the GHA, and Gabriella Agius and Daniella Payas from the Government’s Department of Personnel and Development, the second panel discussion was on ‘Wellbeing in the Workplace and the Menopause’. The panellists were all part of HMGoG’s Menopause Strategy Working Group and worked together to launch HMGoG’s Menopause Policy for the Public Service in October 2024.

The final panel of the morning was made up by Navin Mayani and Dylan Trenado, who with facilitator Adriana Lopez discussed ‘Allyship: The Key to Real Culture Change’, focusing on the importance of male allyship in accelerating positive change on gender equality issues.

The Minister for Equality, Employment, Culture and Tourism, the Hon Christian Santos GMD MP, said: “My Ministry of Equality has marked International Women’s Day with a conference which was inclusive, interactive and informative. I wanted to highlight the views and experiences of a range of people from our community, from young to older persons and from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The inclusion of men panellists on the theme of allyship has been a welcome addition. Gender equality is a social justice issue which benefits everyone in society, so we all have an active part to play it in. I’m very pleased that we have been able to showcase the positive work being undertaken by different Government departments and charities on the important issues that affect us all.”