The Water and Land Resources Centre Management and staff colourfully celebrated the International Women’s Day (IWD), under this year’s theme, “Accelerate Action” for Gender Equality! The facilitator of the event and member of the Organising Committee of the Event Dr. Tsigiemariam Bashe welcomed the Management and Staff and indicated that this year’s theme calls for bold and rapid advancements in gender equality—focusing on strategies that drive women’s progress in education, employment, and leadership. She expressed in behalf of women the positive moves that WLRC proudly started to observe IWD, with practical commitments fostering meaningful conversations and actionable insights on gender inclusivity and equality in the workplace.
The event was officially opened with inspiring remarks by the WLRC Director General, Dr. Gete Zeleke, who recognised the Day as ‘a Special Day for WLRC’ for it provided the opportunity to collectively and officially recognise and celebrate women for the unmatched productive, reproductive, and domestic roles they have been playing in society and organisations, while denouncing and working to change contexts that unfairly burden women. He mentioned studies show women in rural areas work upto 16 hours a day, which is double of the official working hours. Dr. Gete also mentioned the encouraging experiences of the Gender Model Family approach which WLRC introduced in North Achiefer wereda through the ongoing Kunzila Integrated Landscape Management and WASH project. He reminded the staff to go beyond the rhetorics of recognizing women’s contributions both at work and at home and make practical efforts to lighten their burdens both by sharing the works and finding technological options which can make life better for them. He highlighted the need for collective action to create equitable opportunities for all.
This was followed by an insightful presentation by Dr. Engidasew Feleke, Gender Specialist at WLRC, on “Building Bridges: Advancing Gender Equality Through Women-Friendly Workplaces.” This session explored key areas such as the status of women in Ethiopia, gender mainstreaming in organizations, fostering women-friendly workplace cultures, and the role of government policies in supporting gender equality. It also outlined practical steps that organizations can take to make the workplace more inclusive. Also Dr. Dessalegn Gugsa, shared his research findings on “Gender and Resource Extraction Decisions in Common-Pool Resources in the Borena pastoral areas.” His study demonstrated that gender-inclusive options lead to more sustainable resource use, benefiting entire communities and reinforcing the importance of equal representation in decision-making.
Beyond presentations, the event also featured engaging and interactive activities that encouraged participants to reflect on women’s roles and gender balance in the workplace and how they can actively contribute to closing the gender gap. Mrs. Elebat Menker, Communications and Partnership Officer for BRIGHT project at WLRC presented edutainment with well-contextualised Q&A sessions and games that reminded the participants of women’s multi-dimensional roles, extending from domestic to extraordinary official and professional excellences marked by women patriots, presidencies and Nobel prize winners. It was an opportunity to move beyond conversations and identify tangible ways to foster equality and inclusion. A Case scenario presented by Mrs. Kidist Ketema, Assistant project and Partnerships Manager for the BRIGHT Project, inspired discussions on mechanisms and opportunities of empowering women engaged in different walks of life and aspiring to move up in the career and leadership ladders.
In his closing remark, Dr. Gete acknowledged the Organisers for their excellent job and emphasised that the need to accelerate action, going beyond awareness and taking deliberate, strategic steps to empower women, foster inclusivity, and break barriers that withheld women in every sector. He also requested all to think of not only about the women working in the public sphere, but also about the majority of those women left behind. He remarked, “Each of us has a role to play in ensuring that gender equality is not just an aspiration but a reality”.
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