On the occasion of International Women's Day celebrated in Djibouti and around the world, it seemed necessary to return to the situation of gender equality in Djibouti. Although much progress has been made in this area Djibouti has a long way to go to achieve equality between men and women.

We cannot say that equality between men and women is a utopia. In Djibouti in recent years the status of women has evolved.

In 1999 the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Family Welfare and Social Affairs was created and since then things are progressing .

The Grand Prize of the Head of State for the advancement of women rewards each year women who have distinguished themselves in a specific field. Women have also entered the parliament with more than 25% of the deputies. Women's associations such as the UNFD are defending the cause of women in Djiboutian society with determination. Women in Djibouti are ambassadors, directors of public institutions, entrepreneurs, lawyers, judges, journalists and hold many positions of responsibility that were once the preserve of men.

However, we must not hide the fact that women face many difficulties, such as illiteracy, which affects a large number of them, but also female mutilation, a practice from another age that is still rooted in the mores of our society.

Hence these intense campaigns for women's literacy and empowerment with partners such as UNDP, UNFPA and the European Union.

The struggle of organizations such as UNFD and ADEPF to overcome these practices harmful to women's health is to be commended.

To achieve equality between women and men in Djibouti, there is still some way to go. We must not see the advancement of women as a war between the two sexes but rather a duty to get half of humanity out of the shackles in which they are confined so that they can flourish and take part in the socio-economic development of their country. In order to achieve equality we must act on all fronts, from the family sphere to the professional sphere, we must also tackle violence against women. Real equality can only be achieved when all forms of discrimination are overcome.

Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right, but also essential to accelerate sustainable development. The empowerment of women and girls has been repeatedly demonstrated to have a multiplier effect and help stimulate economic growth and development in all spheres.

Since 2000, UNDP, together with its UN partners and the rest of the global community, has made gender equality central to its work. Since then, remarkable progress has been made.