Maltese President calls for action instead of rhetoric to address women’s issues

CHOGM Malta 2015 saw the creation of a new Women’s Forum to join the already established Business Forum, Youth Forum and People’s Forum

Leading women’s rights activists, Government and civil society representatives, women’s welfare advocates and female leaders in various professions from across the Commonwealth’s nations gathered in Malta yesterday for the inauguration ceremony of the first Women’s Forum, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel, St. Julians at 7:30 p.m.

The Women’s Forum is part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which is being held from 27-29 November in Malta. At the opening ceremony, Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma and Commonwealth Secretary General and the Prime Minister of Malta Joseph Muscat addressed the gathering. The event’s inaugural address was delivered by Maltese President Marie Louise Coleiro.     

 “The time is ripe to move from rhetoric to action. The Women’s Forum needs to move beyond discussions to entice the Heads of Government present to act to ensure the wellbeing of women and mark an end to the atrocities women and girls are experiencing today,” Coleiro said.

President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro

“The Women’s Forum needs to bring to the fore the suffering of women across the globe. Women and girls are experiencing harsh realities in their everyday life; as girls are being denied their education, abducted from their families for sexual exploitation, made to suffer the horrific practice of female genital mutilation and made victims of violence and cruelty.   

“Convening a Women’s Forum shows the Commonwealth’s commitment to women in society today, and should highlight opportunities for the often untapped potential of women to the socioeconomic agenda and their competence as leaders. The empowerment of women is essential to the development of an equal and just society throughout the world.”   

She concluded her address by calling for effective discussions at the Women’s Forum so that women and girls from all over the Commonwealth may have the opportunity to reach their full potential.   

The inaugural Women’s Forum meeting will take place today at the Intercontinental Hotel under the theme of ‘Women Ahead - be all that you can be’. 

Women have the potential to change their own economic status as well as that of the communities and countries in which they live. Yet more often than not women’s economic contributions go unrecognised, and unequal opportunities between women and men continue to hamper women’s ability to empower themselves and improve their lives in societies where equality for all is not just a notion but a tangible reality, communities are enriched by the diversity of contributions which transcend gender in all aspects of life. This is the future that the Commonwealth Women’s Forum envisages for the billion women who live within the Commonwealth.  

The forum will provide a platform for women to discuss the challenges they face, share best practices and agree on actions and recommendations to carry forward to the leaders of the Commonwealth. 

Malta is hosting the CHOGM for a second time this year, having successfully done so in 2005. As an island state in the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has served throughout history as a bridge between North Africa and Europe. 

As the host of CHOGM, Malta provides a platform for Commonwealth countries to come together to build bridges of cooperation. At the conference, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena will hand over the Chairmanship of CHOGM, which he holds, to Prime Minister Muscat.