An opening speech delivered by Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing at the ceremony to mark the Myanmar Women’s Day
(3 July 2024)
Everybody, Mingalabar!
First and foremost, I extended my greetings with best wishes for all distinguished guests to be physical and mental well-being with auspiciousness in attending the ceremony to mark today’s Myanmar Women’s Day 2024.
In accord with the population and household census 2014, there are 29.4 million out of 56.2 million estimated population of Myanmar on 1 October 2023, amounting to more than a half of total population of the nation. As Myanmar is home to more than 100 national races, diverse traditions and customs, languages, costumes, histories, geographical conditions can be seen nationwide. However, all national races including women are living together in unity and harmony through thick and thin.
In Myanmar history, women have been participating in the independence struggle, the history of national cause, and political activities keeping abreast with men with sacrifices. It can be seen that the capabilities of massive ethnic women participate in overall development tasks of the Union. Moreover, everybody knows that the role of women is of great importance in serving State security and defence duties and other various sectors with physical and mental capacities.
Today’s Myanmar Women’s Day which falls on 3 July 2024 is the most significant for all women residing in all parts of the nation. As it is a day honouring the outstanding women from all sectors, I heartily honour all women and express my wish for all women to be pleasant and joyful.
The Beijing Declaration stated by the Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing of the People’s Republic of China in 1995 consisted of a point to form the women’s committees in all countries so as to develop women from various workplaces.
In Myanmar, the Myanmar National Women’s Committee was formed on 3 July 1996 with the aim of developing all women and enhancing their capacity in order to emphasize women’s affairs. As part of honouring the dignified and capable Myanmar women, the ceremony to mark the Myanmar Women’s Day has been marked on 3 July yearly.
The Myanmar’s education system comprises pre-primary education, basic education, technical and vocational education and higher education, implementing the multiple education system in order to enhance the education sector. The policy is being implemented for learning of all schoolage children and completion of all students in KG+9 scheme.
Moreover, parents, teachers and administrative officials are joining hands in mitigating untimely dropout of students, not reduction of changing learninggrades and learning of vocational courses and high school education without gender discrimination.
According to the interim population 2019, Myanmar has 46.463 million population under five years old, and there are 6.5 percent of men and 9.4 percent women had not totally attended the schools across the nation. In conducting a survey on school education of population above 25, 42.3 percent of men and 51 percent of women completed primary education, 25.2 percent of men and 18.8 percent of women the middle school education, 15.2 percent of men and 11.7 percent of women the high school education as well as 9.7 percent of men and 12.9 percent of women university graduate. It shows a situation with high dropout rate and decline of educated persons along the chain of education sector.
Hence, emphasis is being placed on enhancement of education sector. So, I would like to urge all to more emphasize education sector of women.
In reviewing the education sector, 50.76 percent of women are attending the basic education sector, 63.6 percent in higher education sector, 47.19 percent in science and technology, 70.44 percent in the medical related education. In 2023-24 academic year, 64.31 percent of girls passed the matriculation examination. With regard to teaching sector, 83.69 percent of women are serving duties at basic education sector, 87.89 percent in the higher education sector, 86.23 percent in the science and technology sector and 80.39 percent in the medical related education, showing the larger participation of women in these sectors.
To narrow the gap in the education, health, social and economic sectors in respective regions, it is necessary to have a large number of intellectuals who are instilled with skills and knowledge. Only when formal education has been acquired, will it be easy for one to acquire knowledge and skill and youths must be taught and trained to acquire knowledge and skills to enable them to stand on their own feet. As women, who are mothers and female teachers, play a very important role in nurturing such youths and human resources with high standards of education and five strengths, you are urged to exert efforts with emphasis on it.
According to the Myanmar Statistical Yearbook - 2023 and reports on statistical estimates of labour force (2020-2023), it was found that the age group between the ages of 25 and 29 made up the largest chunk of the labour force. In terms of employment percentage in respective economic sectors in 2023, male employment rate stood at 49.78 percent in the agriculture sector, 19.36 percent in the industrial sector and 30.86 percent in the services sector while that of women was reported at 42.07 percent in the agriculture sector, 16.81 percent in the industrial sector and 41.12 percent in the services sector.
You are urged to make efforts to increase the participation of women in respective sectors.
Myanmar is giving priority to reducing global maternal mortality, a reproductive health goal of the sustainable development goals. It is very important to enable women to enjoy healthy, happy and safe motherhood during pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period. To make healthcare accessible for women in remote and inaccessible areas, measures must be taken to nurture new midwives, conducting refresher courses to boost their capabilities and publishing and distributing health awareness-raising journals.
It can be seen that social norms and customs that hinder women rights and gender equality and cause violence against women lead to gender inequality. Therefore, it is necessary to appreciate women’s empowerment and to enable them to enjoy their legitimate rights.
To protect women rights and women from violence in line with the law, measures are being implemented to take effective action, in accordance with existing laws, against those who commit violence against women.
Under a report on global women’s empowerment and gender equality jointly published by the UN Women and the UNDP, indices above 0.8 were the highest and those above 0.6 were moderate. The indices of women’s empowerment and gender equality for Myanmar stood at 0.518 and 0.598 respectively and were below the moderate indices. As the human development index stood between 0.550 and 0.699, it was found that they were at the moderate level.
Therefore, continued efforts must be made to increase women’s empowerment and gender equality indices.
Like other countries, the International Women’s Day was held on 8 March, 2024 under the theme “Invest in women:
Accelerate progress.” The theme urged countries to make all-round investment including funds for sustainable development of women and girls.
Relevant ministries and government organization and partner NGOs are urged to make concerted efforts under the guidance of the Myanmar National Committee on Women to implement the 12 areas of the Myanmar National Strategic Plan for Advancement of Women (2023-2032) adopted in accordance with commitments and recommendations in CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action under the guidance of the Myanmar National Committee on Women.
Moreover, you are urged to make continued efforts to meet the goal of the process relating to gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, sustainable development goal (5) adopted by the UN, and ASEAN regional commitments.
As the attributes of Myanmar women such as economy, health and education have been evident in successive eras, it is, therefore, necessary to preserve them. In conclusion, I would like to urge all to make continued efforts for development of sectors relating to women to enable them to earnestly participate in building the union based on democracy and federal system by keeping abreast of men and for development of individuals to families, wards and villages and the country.
Thank you.