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OAS Supports Female Staff Members Participating in “Day without a Woman” Movement

  March 7, 2017

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, today announced to the staff of the Organization that staff members who wish to join the “Day without a Woman” movement organized by grassroots organizations around the world for tomorrow, March 8 on the occasion of International Women´s Day are welcome to do so. 56.8% of OAS staff are women.

“Achieving gender equality in our region is one of the objectives in which the OAS works intensely,” said the Secretary General. “Supporting female staff members who wish to join this action is one more way we as an Organization join the struggle of women for their rights and for gender equality,” he added.

In the Americas, significant progress has been made in terms of women´s rights in recent years. However, there are still unacceptable numbers of women killed, cases of domestic violence, discrimination and job insecurity. These obstacles are accentuated for some women by factors such as living in poverty, being indigenous or Afro-descendant, having a diverse sexual orientation or gender identity, among others.

Reference: E-010/17