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Tendai Rupapa in ST PETERSBURG, Russia

THE involvement of women in the search for answers to global and local challenges and their active participation in all spheres of life serve common interests and contribute to the maximum disclosure of human potential, Russian President Vladmir Putin has said.

Officially opening the Third Eurasian Women’s Forum here on Thursday, President Putin acknowledged the participation of women in various areas of influence including health care, education, upholding of traditional values, environmental protection, economic development and the global climate agenda among others.

He said the forum, which was first held in 2015, had confidently taken its rightful place among authoritative international platforms as confirmed by the representative composition of the participants.

The forum, whose theme is “Women: A global mission in a new reality” is being attended by delegates from over 100 countries including First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, who is also Zimbabwe’s health ambassador and Environmental patron.

Amai Mnangagwa has been working tooth and nail to ensure improved healthcare for all citizens and improved opportunities for the girl child especially on education thus President Putin’s remarks dovetail with the work the mother of the nation is doing in the country.

The First Lady was invited to attend the forum in recognition of her hard work.

President Putin said the modern dynamically changing world, set new tasks for society and states.

“In their decision, women, of course play an increasingly significant role. These are issues of sustainable economic development, and the global climate agenda, problems of ecology, environmental protection, new approaches to education as a process that accompanies a person throughout his life, the desire to build systems of social support on fairer, more balanced principles,” he said.

“Of course the coronavirus pandemic, overcoming its consequences, has become a global challenge. All over the world, women doctors and medical workers have taken the frontline of the fight against the pandemic, taking on the hardest work. Millions of people around the world without any exaggeration, are grateful to them for their salvation,” he said.

Women with their heightened understanding of the value of life, compassion, mercy, President Putin said, had always had a special mission in healthcare.

“I am sure that it will be the same in the future including in determining, taking into account the lessons of the pandemic, further actions in the field of medicine, pharmaceuticals and health protection in general. The activity of women in the search for answers to global and local challenges, their active participation in all spheres of life serves common interests, contributes to he maximum disclosure of human potential,” he said.

These remarks by the Russian President interlock with the advocacy role played by the First Lady at the height of the coronavirus pandemic when she travelled to all parts of the country to ensure communities had information on how to keep Covid-19 at bay.

Through her Angel of Hope Foundation, she also mobilised resources like sanitisers, face masks, sanitising booths, disinfectants and knapsack sprayers to ensure everyone was protected.

President Putin said for his country, traditional family values were extremely important.

“I am nevertheless convinced that traditional family values are the most important moral support and a guarantee of successful development both in the present and in the future. Women have a special role in families. The generosity with which they devote themselves to raising children and caring for loved ones deserves the most sincere gratitude,” he said.

Back home, Amai Mnangagwa is running her Gota/Nhanga/Ixhiba and Nharirire yeMusha programmes to boost traditional family values which help mould morally upright and responsible citizens.

She is taking the programmes to all communities countrywide under her mission of ensuring that no one is left behind.

The Russian President said in his country there was a wide presence of women in government bodies and bright stories of entrepreneurial success.

Women, he said, made up the majority in the fast-growing industry, more than 58 percent as well as in science where the share of women was almost 40 percent among researchers.

“It is quite obvious that in modern conditions, a woman should not face a choice either children, family or her professional realisation. We proceed precisely from this understanding. Therefore, in Russia all the conditions are consistently created so that a woman after the birth of a child can at any time start or resume her professional career, take place and achieve growth in the business that she like,” he said.

The President said there were programmes of professional training, advanced training which among other things can be used by women who are on parental leave.

“We support families with children who find themselves in a difficult financial situation. Let me remind you that a number of new decisions have been adopted this year.

“This is help for pregnant women and payments to single parents and in most cases to be honest these are as a rule women, mothers.”

In line with this, First Lady Mnangagwa’s Angel of Hope Foundation is working in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) to ensure women acquire short courses so that they sustain themselves and their families without turning to vices like prostitution and criminal activities.

She has also initiated various income generating projects for less privileged women across the country.

The President added, “Such help and support allows women to build their future with greater confidence.”

In her remarks at the same occasion, Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Madam Valentina Matviyenko noted that the coronavirus pandemic not only became a global shock, but also influenced a “reset” of processes of economic and social development.

It also spawned a new look at the participation of women in solving acute problems.

She said coronavirus resulted in women being employed in areas most affected by the pandemic, in retail, services, tourism and hospitality.

“The topic of health occupies one of the central places at the forum. We must call on the international community to unite efforts for the sake of human healthy, ensure equal access to vaccinations and medicines, mutual recognition of vaccination certificates and renounce any discriminatory practices in the health sector. We will continue to support women’s initiatives aimed at creating a healthy society,” she said.

The head of the Federation Council stressed that the issues of economic and social inequality were becoming more acute in the world.

According to expert estimates, the consequences of coronavirus could increase the global poverty rate by another half a billion people.

“Overcoming this negative trend is impossible without raising the level of qualifications of women. Therefore, the forum is invariably engaged in the promotion of accessible education for women, the active involvement of women in production, management and innovation processes in the development of creative industries,” she said.

The Council of the Eurasian Women’s Forum conducts continuous, systematic work to increase the participation of women in high-tech industries.

“This forum has brought together the best of the best, well talented and hardworking women. We are a great team of people having the same goals and speaking the same language on the role of women and together we will achieve our goals. We are mothers and center of the family, to be a mother is great happiness and this forum has brought us together. Thank you my fellow women for playing the most important roles. Let us unite our efforts, together we will be successful,” she said.

On Wednesday the First Lady met with Madam Matviyenko on the sidelines of the forum who commended philanthropic work she is doing back home and expressed interest in exploring partnership with her Angel of Hope Foundation.

United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres sent a video greeting to the forum participants.

He noted that the world had changed significantly since 2018 due to Covid-19 and the climate emergency.

“The new reality requires fundamental reforms. And women’s participation is driving stronger peace agreements, better social protection programmes and a stronger climate agenda,” he said.

President of the Central American Parliament (PARLASEN) Fanny Carolin Salinas Fernandez spoke on the role of women in shaping a new agenda for peace and prosperity.

She recalled the resolution adopted in September 2019 by the UN General Assembly according to which 2021 was declared the year of peace and sustainable development.

“There are more and more civil communities in the world that are promoting the agenda of peace and sustainable development. The task of women is to contribute to the achievement of these goals,” stressed Fernandez.

Another speaker, President of the all China-Women’s Federation Shen Yueyue implored women to support each other in the fight against Covid-19 and to safeguard peace in the world.

She concurred that women played a critical role, hence the need to coordinate efforts.

“There is need to increase sharing of information and unity among women so that we eradicate poverty. As women we should take part in community programmes from the grassroots. I call upon women to work hand-in-hand so that the fruits of development are shared by everyone in a peaceful environment.”

On Covid-19, she said women were working with all their might in fighting the pandemic.

She called on countries to work together to solve urgent issues involving women such as mitigating the impact of Covid-19.

She further added that the role of women in socio-economic recovery and development should be promoted.

Ms Tatiana Golikova Deputy Prime Minister of Russia for Social Policy, Labour, Health and Pension Provision said one of the missions of the sustainable goal of the forum was to ensure equality and empowerment of the girl child to improve the status of women.

“We need to join hands and eliminate factors affecting the empowerment of women,” she said.

The First Lady is on record urging women to work together to uplift each other and exchange economically beneficial ideas and avoid expending time on meaningless things like gossiping.