| Ishan Ibrahim |
THE High Commission of Canada in Brunei Darussalam hosted a panel discussion themed ‘Inspiring Change through Women Empowerment’ at the CAE Multi-Purpose Training Centre yesterday. The event was held to honour women’s achievements and to celebrate International Women’s Day.
The dialogue was attended by local industrialists, government officials and members of the youth community, and focussed on encouraging the audience to reflect on the importance of gender equality, and to celebrate and discuss the progress and successes achieved by women in Brunei, besides acknowledging the work still left to be done.
The speakers engaged in discussions on the challenges and lessons learnt from women who have achieved success in their fields, and deliberated on what can be done to encourage the further advancement of women.
Among them were Attorney General, Datin Seri Paduka Hajah Hayati binti Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Haji Mohd Salleh, who was the guest keynote speaker.
The High Commissioner of Canada to Brunei Darussalam, Caterina Ventura in her welcoming remarks shared the initiatives taken by her government to eliminate poverty, create lasting peace and achieve sustainable development.
Ventura added that the Canadian Government has also launched their second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, the blueprint to guide efforts 2022 to advance the role of women and girls and protect their human rights.
She said that Canada is engaging youths in Brunei to become positive agents of change by supporting scholarships and educational exchange programmes that aim to achieve sustainable development goals.
A recently established $10 million scholarship and exchange programme from the Canadian Government will allow Asean students to study in Canada, in areas focussed on narrowing the development gap in the region and bring about gender equality.
