Recognizing her status as ICAO’s first female Secretary General, and her active role in inspiring new generations of women and girls to have a stronger say in all spheres of activities and at all levels, the Women Heads of Diplomatic Missions of Ottawa invited Dr. Fang Liu to take part this week in a special Roundtable discussion on Parliament Hill focused on the "Role of Women in the Decision-Making Processes".
Dr. Liu underscored the importance of gender equality being among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted under the UN’s Agenda 2030, and also made clear the critical importance of gender equality to the future of the air transport sector globally.
“We have a saying in China that “women hold up half the sky”, but in air transport today this is definitely not the case,” Dr. Liu noted. “Current statistics reveal that fewer than seven per cent of the aviation workforce is female, and at the CEO level that drops to less than five per cent. This helps to explain my profound dedication to removing barriers to women’s participation in air transport, and to prioritizing their professional development opportunities.”
The unique and timely gender event brought together women Ambassadors and High Commissioners accredited to Ottawa, female Members of Parliament and Senators, the Chair and co-Chairs of Canada’s All Party Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, as well as representatives of the federal government, academia, and civil society. The Speaker of the House of the Canadian Parliament, the Honourable Mr. Geoff Regan, P.C., M.P., was also in attendance.
