Today, 8 March, International Women’s Day, Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi has reiterated “the Ministry’s complete and utter commitment to protecting and promoting the rights of women throughout the world”
Terzi underscored Italy’s long-standing commitment on these issues. “Since 1985 we have been party to the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. […] Italy is also in the front line in combating the practice of female genital mutilation, and strongly supports women’s role in peace and democratic transition processes”.
Italy’s Development Cooperation is particularly active in the campaign for Women’s Empowerment and against Female Genital Mutilation. In Central America, for example, it is engaged in a regional project, in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, for economic empowerment and participation by women in local governance and development systems
In Afghanistan, its “Institutional capacity building for gender equity” project is designed to eradicate the conviction commonly held there that women are not good decision-makers. The project includes awareness-raising initiatives in communities in the provinces and seeks to involve religious leaders, who have a strong influence on Afghan public opinion.
