VERBATIM RECORDS of the Interactive Panel discussion and the exchange of views

in the framework of the Event on the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment which took place in Vaduz, Liechtenstein, on 28 November 2023

Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Dear President, dear Secretary General, honourable members of PACE, dear Secretariat, we are continuing the existing tradition of me having the pleasure to moderate the Vigdís Prize ceremony for Women's Empowerment. And today indeed, we are finalising our initiative and it is going to be the first time we are dedicating this Prize to amazing women. And I would like to start this part of our session with the intervention of the President of the Assembly, Mr Tiny Kox. Dear Tiny, the floor is yours.

Mr Tiny Kox, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Thank you very much. Six months ago in Reykjavík, I had the honour of launching the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, in the presence not only of Iceland’s Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir, of Council of Europe Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić and of PACE Equality Committee Chairperson Mariia Mezentseva, but also alongside the woman who has given her name to the Prize, former Icelandic President Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman in the world to be elected as a Head of State. As we did so then, we pay tribute to her as a champion of women’s rights and a model for us all, men and women alike. I truly believe that we are progressing towards a world where women leaders will no longer be an exception, or even a minority, and for that we can be eternally grateful to women like Vigdís. She and others have shattered the glass ceilings in all parts of society, in all of our member States and partner countries, and have paved the way for gender equality which must be at the heart of genuine democracy. Today, we are launching the all-important second stage in the process, which is the call for candidates for this new annual Prize, designed to reward outstanding initiatives to promote the empowerment of women in all their diversity. My thanks to the Liechtenstein Parliament for hosting this event and for raising its visibility through the meeting of the Standing Committee. Dear colleagues, I ask all of you to share the call for applications and to propose candidates from among your relations in civil society, those who are working tirelessly to promote gender equality, equal access to participation and decision making, economic equality and inclusive policies and practice. You will be contributing to making the Prize a meaningful success and putting these people in the spotlight, where they should be. The 60 000-euro award will certainly help the winner to multiply their action for the good. As I said back in May, taking my inspiration from Vigdís’ own words, women’s empowerment has progressed from “impossible” to “inevitable”. The Parliamentary Assembly has been a forerunner in advocating for women’s independence, autonomy and indeed, empowerment. The creation of the Prize with the generous financial and political support of Iceland is another tool in our toolkit for building a better future. I take this opportunity to congratulate and thank the six members of the Selection Panel of the Prize, which I will personally preside. The panel is represented here today by our dear friend and ally, Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, with whom we are delighted to be co-operating again. The call for candidates will close next February, and the Prize will be presented during the Assembly’s June part-session. It will be very exciting to follow the process and I am really looking forward to seeing a good number of deserving candidates, thanks for all your proposals! Now before our interactive panel discussion begins, we will watch a video on Vigdís Finnbogadóttir and on “her” Prize, produced by the Assembly’s Communication division using footage from Icelandic archives. Enjoy the view!

[Video projection]

Ms Mariia Mezentseva, Chairperson of the Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination of the Parliamentary Assembly Indeed, dear friends if the world will be saved, it will be by women. This is what President Vigdís’ message is to all of us, specifically in the challenging times, while several of our member States are going through the international armed conflicts. We hope for the victory and for the peace. And of course, it was such a great pleasure to know the President, even before we launched this Prize, when Iceland started ranking annually the most advanced policies in gender equality in the world. Now, I would like colleagues to come back to our program and we have distinguished panellists today with us. We will have them answering each, two questions and I would like to ask to do it briefly. I will be asking those questions. I would like to present the speakers. We have among them not only President Tiny Kox, but also Ms Bernadette Kubik-Risch, Equal opportunities expert, Liechtenstein. We have Mr Wilfried Marxer, President of the Association for Human Rights, Liechtenstein. We have Ms Rósa Björk Brynjólfsdóttir, member of the Selection Panel of the Vigdís Prize for Women’s Empowerment, Office of the Prime Minister of Iceland. So, I would like to not waste the time so we can have discussions with parliamentarians further on. And the first question goes to President Tiny Kox. We will make a small

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