Launch of International Drawing Competition on Gender Equality
On the occasion of the International Women's Day, I am proud to launch the 2010 edition of the International Drawing Competition on Gender Equality. This competition, organized under my patronage, aims to promote the creativity, enthusiasm and integration of the concept «gender equality» in the mind of children.
My hope is that the competition, in its entertaining and creative way, contributes not only to raise the consciousness and awareness of the children and their families on the issue of gender equality, but also to open the debate at the level of civil society in developing countries. This could be a step on the road to the Millennium Development Goals: improving women's situation is one of the top priorities of the Millennium Development Goals, and one where we must focus our efforts to make a difference.
Eight to ten year old children from Africa, Asia, Caribbean, the Pacific, Latin America, Mediterranean, the Middle East and other European Countries, including the EU's Eastern Neighbours are invited to show their vision of gender equality. This year's theme proposes to reflect on how girls and boys, women and men, together can make the world a better place.The winners in each region will be awarded a prize equivalent to €1,000 each and their drawings will be exposed in Brussels in November.
The annual competition was first launched in 2007 and since then almost 60 000 children from all corners of the globe have contributed with a drawing and to the dialogue on gender equality at home and at school, while national and local authorities, as well as civil society, have often been closely involved.
