Casa Mediterráneo in colalboration with the IEMed commemorated 8 March, International Women’s Day, with the celebration of a conference entitled ’Mediterranean women break barriers’, in which issue 34 of the publication Quaderns de la Mediterrània, edited by the IEMed, was presented, and where professionals from the academic world and international organizations offered their testimonies on leadership led by women in the Mediterranean, their current situation and their challenges. The event was broadcasted via streaming through the Casa Mediterráneo YouTube channel.

Respect for women’s rights and the promotion of gender equality are key to the development of societies on both sides of the Mediterranean, but the reality is that women continue to encounter barriers to achieving an equitable situation. In order to accelerate the pace towards equality between men and women, it is necessary to promote women’s access to positions of responsibility in all public sectors and in political, economic, cultural and social governance. Likewise, social networks have become in recent years a powerful tool for activism when women present their demands and mobilize public opinion.

During the conference, this matter was discussed, within the framework of the status of women in specific countries of the Mediterranean region, with useful recommendations for politicians, local administrations, feminist associations and for all those who wish to collaborate in breaking down the barriers that prevent women the development of their potentialities.

The conference started with a brief presentation and then there was a talk ’Towards political, economic and technological leadership’ presenteded and moderated by Paqui Santonja, senior advisor from Casa Mediterráneo, in which participated: Anna Dorangricchia, project manager of the Division of Gender Equality, Social and Civil Affairs of the Union for the Mediterranean; Sally Hammoud, from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon; Assia Merazi, from the Office of the Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO); and Nuria Oliver, vice-president of the ELLIS Foundation.

The day continued with a round table entitled ’Breaking stereotypes’, which was presented and moderated by Maria Angels Roque, director of Quaderns de la Mediterrània and one of the founders of the EMWF. She discussed it with the interventions of: Nuria Oliver, director of the ELLIS Alicante Unity Foundation; Naïma Benaicha, associate professor in the area of Arab and Islamic Studies at the University of Alicante and coordinator of the Alicante Circle of the ACM Foundation; and Hala Bugaighis, co-founder of the Jusoor Center for Studies and Development in Libya. The event closed with a concert by the renowned singer-songwriter from Alicante, Inma Serrano.