Angel Valdes | January 17, 2023
The Minister of Social Development (MIDES), María Inés Castillo, presided over the first ordinary meeting of the National Council for Gender Parity, where some actions aimed at promoting good practices that will allow closing the economic gender gaps were presented.
During the meeting, the new team of the Technical Secretariat of the Gender Parity Initiative (IPG) was presented, in addition to the report on the Results of the 2022 Action Plan and the 2023 Plan Proposal.
In this sense, it was reported that during 2022, 112 actions were carried out; 34% of them related to labor participation; 33% to governance; 29% to female leadership and another 4% linked to closing the wage gap.
Indicators that highlight progress in terms of equality were also provided, such as the fact that more than 58,787 women benefited in 2022 from programs that promote gender equality, which are developed by the institutions and organizations that make up the National Council for Parity. of genre.
During the activity, it was announced that by 2023 it is planned to carry out approximately 136 actions, which will have an impact on more than 17,370 women.
At the same time, the members of the National Council for Gender Parity were presented with the Advances of the Operational Model Plan, which included: presentation of the IPG Baseline; construction of the new value proposition and presentation of the new communication offer.
Likewise, the study prepared by the ILO-CONEP titled “Women in business development in Panama, Wed Report” was shown. The study evaluated variables such as: access to gender-sensitive financial services; access to business development services; access to market and technology; representation of women entrepreneurs and participation in political dialogue.
The National Council for Gender Parity also approved the creation of the “Business Woman Seal”, which aims to promote the growing leadership and economic autonomy of women through the identification and visibility of those companies owned by women, thus betting , to a real participation of women in the economy and especially in the business and productive sector of Panama.
It was reported that the companies that would be creditors of this seal would be those that demonstrate having an outstanding participation of women within the company, being these owners and forming, for the most part, the board of directors of the same.
At the ordinary meeting, a room courtesy was offered to the Ministry of Government for the presentation of the Plan for the Economic Empowerment of Indigenous Women.
The Gender Parity Initiative (IPG) is a high-level public-private alliance, aimed at promoting strategies or policies to close economic gender gaps. It stems from a concept designed by the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The meeting of the National Council for Gender Parity was attended by the Minister of Education (MEDUCA), Maruja Gorday de Villalobos; the Minister of Labor and Labor Development (MITRADEL), Doris Zapata; and the Minister of Government, Roger Tejada; in addition to representatives of private companies, government organizations and international organizations.
