The European Parliament celebrated International Women’s Day by honoring four inspiring women who are leading the fight for freedom, peace, and justice in their respective countries. Those recognised by the European Parliament were Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, President of the Coordination Council of Belarus; Belarusian political activist Palina Sharenda Panasiuk; Lenie Umerova, a Ukrainian Crimean Tatar imprisoned by Russia; and Tata Kepler from Ukraine, a businesswoman and medical volunteer with the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
They addressed the Parliament and discussed their experience and how extremely crucial the role of women’s involvement in decision-making is, particularly in defense, security, and peace.
Opening the ceremony, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said: “I am proud that the European Parliament has and will always be a force for democracy, equality and solidarity. Today, we pay tribute to the courageous women across Europe who are standing up for the values so many of us, too often, take for granted.”
This project also aids the European Union’s continuous struggle for gender equality. Recent initiatives include the launch of a gender balance policy for the boards of listed companies, setting a target of at least 40% female representation among non-executive directors by 2026, as well as new pay transparency regulations to ensure equal pay for equal work
The European Commission and the High Representative have further underlined women’s ongoing underrepresentation in politics with a note that only 6 EU countries have achieved more than a gender balance of over 40% for their Members of Parliament and just 5 EU countries have a female Head of State. They reiterate that women’s participation is paramount to deeper democracies and are committed to supporting action in the direction of women’s involvement in public life.
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