I am pleased that we have gathered together here today, to discuss an extremely important subject, the fundamental right of everyone, of a man and of a woman, which is equal access to property and financial and economic resources.
Honourable US Ambassador, Mrs. Jacobson,
Honourable Deputy Head of OSCE Mission, Ms. Shikoska
Honourable GIZ Director, Mr. Macbeth;
Honourable participants,
I am pleased that we have gathered together here today, to discuss an extremely important subject, the fundamental right of everyone, of a man and of a woman, which is equal access to property and financial and economic resources.
The right to property ownership is undeniable, the fundaments of which are found in universal human rights and to the establishment of a society and a state in which every citizen, irrespective of gender, is offered equal opportunities for a dignified life.
As the slogan of the campaign which we are launching together today says, it’s “for our own benefit”, for the benefit of each one of us, as individuals, as members of a family, of a community, of a state, to guarantee the attainment of rights of each citizen, inclusive of the right to property.
We have often looked at guaranteeing of gender equality only through the prism of fulfilment of a moral obligation, as a right offered to women, not necessarily as a right guaranteed by law. We have seen it distinctively from the multiple and positive effect which the advancement of women brings directly to a family, to a community and to the whole of society.
Women represent half of the society, they are half of its human resource, and I say it without hesitation, that when we choose not to treat women equally, we chose to relinquish half of the wealth we possess.
Honourable participants,
Gender equality is a fundamental constitutional right upon which we have laid the foundations of the state we are building, a state which offers opportunities to its citizens without difference, Led by this principle we have built the legal infrastructure which guarantees women, as it does to men, equal rights in all fields of life.
But beyond this, we continue to face the bitter reality in which women and girls make up the economically less advanced layer of society, less represented at the decision making tables, lesser school attendance and with less opportunities and access in every field of life.
Such a reality must make us all aware, as citizens and as institutions, of the need to undertake measures which will not allow the half of our society to be a less heard voice, less represented in community development, as well as the development of the society and the country.
Women and girls still represent the poorest category of the society, and we must guarantee thorough policies, norms and legislation, long term changes which will also effect the coming generations, to once and for all end this vicious circle of poverty and dependency in which women and girls find themselves generation after generation.
Therefore, initiatives such as this one today, which in essence treats the issue of equal rights between men and women in matrimony, deserve our unsparing support.
Access to economic and financial resources, offering of the right to property as a right guaranteed by law, is the key to exit from poverty, is the key to advancement and development of the society.
So consequently, this right guaranteed to women by law, must be protected by the whole society by making the registration of the property in the name of both husband and wife and the right to inheritance part of our general culture.
Property gained in marriage is a joint property, register it in the name of both husband and wife.
Thank you.