The Republic of Equatorial Guinea, through its First Lady, Constancia Mangue, and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Gender Equality, celebrated the International Day of the Girl with the announcement of new equality initiatives and school celebrations.
Equatorial Guinea joined the international community and called for the full participation of women in the workplace by addressing gender stereotypes and barriers to entry. Equatorial Guinea highlighted the need to rapidly expand access to training and inclusive education, create schools and training programs that address gender bias, and increase female participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses.
Equatorial Guinea is focused on economic diversification through the empowerment of women’s rights, in line with the country’s Horizon 2020 development plan. The First Lady has received the Award for Social Action and Female Leadership in Africa, international recognition of the country’s great strides it has made in recent years.
Government has highlighted increased focus on the growth of private industry, development of new technologies, and unwavering support for women and children.
Equatorial Guinea’s Ministry of Social Affairs and Gender Equality recently strengthened the country’s child protection system through the review of the Study on Minors in Conflict with the Law, which outlined strategies to identify possible causes of delinquency in minors, as well as proposed appropriate psychological interventions for social integration, and function of the familial structure and community to avoid conflicts.
Equatorial Guinea has made great progress over the years on human rights, including the temporary amnesty against the death penalty, the plan of action to combat human trafficking, the implementation of the Children’s Parliament, the improvement of education for all Equatorial Guineans, and the complete abolition of child labor.
Equatorial Guinea has ratified numerous international conventions regarding human rights, and is active at the United Nations (UN) as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, where it strongly advocates for peace and security throughout the world. Equatorial Guinea at the UN has urged its fellow UN member states to prohibit the sale of arms to mercenaries and other organizations who are considered human rights violators.