Mensaje del Día de la Mujer emitido por la Honorable Sra. Lindiwe Sisulu, Ministra del Departamento de Relaciones Internacionales y Cooperación de Sudáfrica and Cooperation,ssage by Hon Lindiwe SISULU, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation.
Greetings to all the hard-working DIRCO Staff!
It was a great pleasure to meet the women in our Department on the occasion of the DIRCO Women’s Day event, on Monday, 6 August 2018.
This event took place against the backdrop of the 4th Annual Gertrude Shope Annual Dialogue Forum on Conflict Resolution and Peace-making which was held on 01 August 2018, in Pretoria, under the theme: “Celebrating a Legacy of Liberation by the Pan African Women: Taking Forward the Struggle for Gender Equality”. It coincided with the Pan-African Women’s High Level Panel on the Revitalisation of PAWO (Pan-African Women’s Organisation), which was attended by gender activists from South Africa, Africa and various parts of the world. These include representatives of governments, members of the diplomatic corps and the NGO sector. For fifty six years PAWO has been at the forefront in mobilising for the emancipation of women and it remains a strong continental voice for their cause.
The DIRCO Women’s Day event was not only an occasion to celebrate the strides our country, government and the Department has made in the struggle for gender equality, but also to reflect on the current challenges. In this regard, DIRCO women have spoken!
I sincerely appreciate the candour and passion displayed by DIRCO women, as well as the constructive suggestions made during our deliberations.
I have instructed the Acting DG to develop a comprehensive response to all issues raised, including but not limited to, mentoring/coaching targeted at women, gender equality-with a specific focus on the middle and top management echelon of the Department, action against sexual harassment, and career progression.
I believe that all of us including the men in DIRCO should be agents for gender equality. In this regard, I have committed to meeting the men in our Department to discuss gender issues in the workplace. We also have a responsibility to create an environment and climate that value others.
On this, the Women’s Month and in celebration of the women of South Africa and DIRCO in particular, and after discussions with the Acting DG, all women colleagues are granted permission to knock off at 12 midday on 10 August 2018, at home and abroad.
Happy Women’s Day / Month
