Israel promoting gender  equity and inclusivity

This yearly celebration every 8th of March was made official by the United Nations in 1975. Since then, milestones in progressing women’s rights have been made. Women were able to pursue their ambitions, buy their house and gained the right to vote. Women are now recognized for their contributions to our economic growth and society development.

What is the difference between equality and equity? International Women’s Day defines equality as giving the same resources or equal opportunities, whereas equity is recognizing that each person has different circumstances and allocates the exact resources and opportunities needed to reach an equal outcome. To illustrate, equality is giving everyone the same bicycle regardless of his or her physical ability. Meanwhile, equity is giving a bicycle suited to who they are and what they need.

It is significant to understand the difference so we can better suit our programs to each person’s needs.

In Israel, we have legislative programs, awareness campaigns and institutional mechanisms to promote gender equality. As part of our international responsibility, we have programs for women led by Israel’s International  Development Agency, MASHAV, which was established through the initiative of our first female Prime Minister, Golda Meir, in 1958 (Israel was 10 years old, still receiving international aid).

We have enacted landmark laws dedicated to gender-based equality. Just three years after the establishment of the State of Israel, we had the Equal Rights for Women Law 5711 of 1951. This law states, “A man and a woman shall have equal status with regard to any legal proceedings.”

Israel has also adopted many legislative reforms pertaining to gender equality and empowerment, including the amendment of Women’s Employment Law where we extended the maternity leave period from 14 to 15 weeks in 2017; amendment to the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Regulations that provided the measures to combat sexual harassment in higher education institutions in 2014; to name a few.

In a similar vein, the Philippines has enacted several national mandates towards achieving gender equality, including landmark laws on Women in Development and Nation Building Act of 1992 and the Magna Carta of Women of 2009.

The Philippines is also known for giving women a voice in the political space. The current Vice President, Honorable Sara Duterte, leading the education sector is a great example of this. Twenty-eight percent of the House of Representatives and 29 percent of the Senate of the Philippines are women. Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Representative Kristine Singson-Meehan and Representative Camille Villar as Deputy Speakers of the House of Representatives, as well as Senator Loren Legarda as the Senate President Pro-Tempore, are the second highest positions in the legislative branch.

However, we are still lagging behind.

UN Women reports that there is still an “inadequacy in present-day efforts” to achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls or the Sustainable Development Goal No. 5. Globally, over 380 million women and girls are reported to be living in extreme poverty. More than one in every 10 women and girls aged 15-49 were subjected to sexual and/or physical violence.

Furthermore, women hold only 2 out of 10 in science, engineering and IT jobs globally. The 67th Session of the Commission of the Status of Women that started this week is focusing on “Innovation and Technological Change, and Education in the Digital Age for Achieving Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls.” As emphasized by UN Women Director Sima Bahous, it is imperative to reaffirm generation equality shared principles for a feminist digital future.

We must do more.

Israel and the Philippines have a rich historical relationship. This was highlighted in 1938, when President Manuel Quezon let in Jewish refugees who were fleeing the persecution of Nazi Germany. He saved their lives from the death and extermination camps in Europe. A few years after World War 2, in 1947, the Philippines was the only Asian country who voted in support of the establishment of the Jewish State of Israel.

To do our part, the embassy is exerting efforts to achieve SDG 5 in the Philippines. We offer MASHAV training programs to Filipino professionals held in Israel to learn and exchange best practices on gender empowerment and combating gender-based violence. This is done at the Golda Meir Mount Carmel international training center. Since 1958, Israel has been welcoming hundreds of Filipinos to professionally train in various fields – agriculture, innovation and entrepreneurship, education, etc.

Furthermore, we have also initiated projects and given grants to Filipino women leaders in development: the ISHA (Hebrew word for women) project, a health and wellness program for women with Marge Barro of Makati Medical Center Foundation and smart agricultural project in Central Luzon State University by Dr. Eugene Baltazar.

Together with Caritas Philippines, we have supported the repair of houses in the Diocese of Marinduque that were affected by Typhoon Paeng. Among the recipients were women and single parents.

Innovation is also my priority area of cooperation in the Philippines. Innovation delivers quality education and opportunities. Education on digital literacy provides women with the tools to participate in the digital world.

Each woman should have her own power to act on her own goals and participate in the society. We can help women achieve these goals by removing barriers and providing opportunities based on their needs. We need to increase efforts towards their access to opportunities for decent work, equal opportunity for promotion, quality education, innovative technologies and improved health and support systems. We, at the Israeli embassy in Manila, are committed to doing so.

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Statement of Israeli Ambassador Ilan Fluss at Caritas Philippines Academy on International Women’s Day.