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DR. VJOSA OSMANI SADRIU
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
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President Osmani’s Speech at the Ceremony marking the International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Thank you very much Vlora,
Honored Minister Nagavci,
Honored Ms. Richardson,
Honored Ms. Gusia,
Dear UN Women team,
Honourable speakers, respectable girls watching us online, dear participants,

I say with genuine honesty that I really appreciate marked days like today. On the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we have the opportunity to speak unanimously about the topics we hold dear, to raise awareness of phenomena and developments that contribute to the improvement of our well-being, and to reflect on what we have done and what we can do more and better in the future.

At the same time, I think that if you really believe in the advantages and benefits of integration, support and empowerment of women in each sector, and especially in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, you work in this direction every day. And on days like this, you enjoy the successes and progress of daily work. Each of you is making an essentially valuable contribution in this regard and I want to congratulate you on your work, but, above all, thank you for your commitment, diligence and dedication, as well as for the model you are building for the girls of young and future generations.

The first steps as a child, childhood memories, the first words uttered, but also those heard, and the situations experienced, have a direct impact on defining and shaping a person's preferences, thoughts and attitudes while he or she is growing up. Therefore, nowadays, we have to work hard to fight those expressions that we often hear, such as: “It is a man’s job.” No job is for men only, just as no job is for women only. Equal opportunities and equal access to education are the main premises from which we must start to ensure that our actions in this direction translate into sustainable results. 

Over the years, the same story is recurring in our labor market. We have a painful disproportion of employed women compared to men. Namely, in 2021, based on KAS data for the first quarter, the percentage of employees among men was 42.8%, against only 15.9% among women. And if we look further, only 2% of Kosovar women are employed in institutions specialized in information and communication technologies. This is not a phenomenon that occurs only in Kosovo; in fact, this should by no means be correlated with our heritage. However, we started this year with good news. The two main awards in science, the award for 
“Scientist of the Year” and the award for “Young Scientist” were won by two women scientists. Congratulations to both of them!

I started my journey as President by saying these words: a girl’s place is where she wants to be, where she dreams every night to be, where she works hard to be. To me this is not just a quote taken out from my inaugural speech; this motto represents the ideology of my daily work. This mentality guides us at every step, because, for the girls who are with us today, either physically or through the screen, for our girls and for every girl in every corner of Kosovo and beyond, we want the best. We want a Kosovo and a society where they feel free to give equal and maximum contribution, where they are treated with dignity and deserved respect, and where their work is valued without discrimination on gender grounds.

In front of you today, we take pride in the achievements of our girls in science, and I am very happy to see a Minister who is dedicated to the incessant support of girls and women in STEM and to continual cooperation with the Agency for Gender Equality and organizations such as UN Women in Kosovo that never stop working for the empowerment of girls and women in Kosovo. I am happy to share the podium with extraordinary women and girls who are working and acting in these fields every day; and to see you and the girls and women present here and through your screens how step by step and day by day you are contributing to building a Kosovo where scientific research, robotics, programming, information technology, innovation, and above all, the mentality of universal professions which are not divided on the basis of gender, become the axis of our just, wise and sustainable development.

The love and interest for the profession we will choose in life is conceived from early childhood. Therefore, the involvement of little girls in robotics, programming and in various fields of technology and science will directly help increase their interest in pursuing careers in science and other fields of STEM. In this journey, the first driver is the family, the biggest motive is the passion and individual will, and the decisive support is the institutions. Therefore, I want to assure you that I will strongly support the efforts of the Ministry, but also of any other responsible institution and entity, in the mission of building, supporting and strengthening our champions in STEM. 

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic, but also the various ever-increasing challenges around the world, have shown us the importance of accurate answers, sustainable solutions, meaningful research, and continuous innovation. This is exactly the spirit of STEM. Science, technology and innovation are at the heart of the revolution needed to enable us to meet the major challenges of our day easier. But in addition, they are our best opportunity for daily improvement of collective well-being. And common challenges can only be well addressed with joint commitment. Therefore, in trying to guarantee better days, work cannot be divided between him and her. Because we can only do the best job when he and she work side by side.

Dear girls,

Do not hesitate to challenge yourself. Not succeeding in your endeavor is not a failure; not having the courage to take the first step in your research, analytical, and innovation journey would be a failure. You will be surprised by your ability to transform your inner circle, the community in which you live, the society that surrounds you and finally the whole world.

So please do not hesitate – start that scientific work, research that software more and more, always learn from the research of others, give the chance to that experiment that seems impossible to you at first, try to fix that device that seems to be broken, because, trust me, your skills often surpass your imagination. I see this every day, you are proving this at every step, we owe this example to those women and girls who worked hard to give us the opportunities we have today. Therefore, we must pass this mentality of continuous progress and improvement to the future generations.

Continue to be an inspiration. Our Kosovo will be better because of your work and commitment. Remember one more thing: on the go make sure you are a supportive arm for other girls and women. Often, it is the extension of a hand or the ability to lean on a shoulder that enables us to be exposed to a new world and facilitates our access to new opportunities. I believe in you! I will stand by you in every step of the way. Good luck!

Thank you!

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