Australian Consul General to Bali Helena Studdert hosted a high tea on Thursday to celebrate International Women’s Day and welcomed more than 90 Balinese and Australian guests to the event.
ustralian Consul General to Bali Helena Studdert hosted a high tea on Thursday to celebrate International Women’s Day and welcomed more than 90 Balinese and Australian guests to the event.
The event was part of the Australian Consulate General’s efforts to support women’s social, economic, cultural and political empowerment, particularly in Bali and West Nusa Tenggara.
“All women deserve the right to live free from violence, to control their bodies, go to school, participate fully in political processes and earn equal pay for equal work, free from harassment,” said Studdert.
This year’s International Women’s Day, themed "Leave No Woman Behind", aims to promote the important roles women can play in humanitarian and disaster mitigation planning and response measures.
Studdert said gender equality and women’s empowerment was a key part of Australia’s foreign policy, economic diplomacy and aid work.
“Gender equality is central to economic and human development. It helps to address the root causes of instability and conflict, drives economic growth, reduces poverty and builds resilience,” she said.
She added that one of the joint programs being implemented nationwide was the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Gender Equality ad Women's Empowerment (MAMPU).
This US$113 million commitment over five years from 2016 to 2020 aims to increase women's access to jobs and reduce workplace discrimination. It also aims to improve women's access to government programs for social protection as well as conditions for women's overseas labor migration, while strengthening women's leadership for better health and reproductive rights and in addressing violence against women.
The program works with more than 2,400 partners across 27 provinces in Indonesia and supports over 14,000 women. (ebf)
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