The Costa Rican Government and the European Union (EU) signed a joint declaration Tuesday affirming their commitment to gender equality, and empowerment of women and girls.

The support is part of a regional program to promote the economic empowerment of working women through responsible business conduct, and consists of 9.5 million euros in funding for Costa Rica and five other beneficiary countries in the region.

 

Neven Mimica, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, was in Costa Rica for the announcement of the program that will provides technical assistance from the EUROsociAL fund to support Costa Rica in implementing its 2018-2030 National Gender Equality and Gender Equity Policy (PIEG, its initials in Spanish).

“The path to progress with equality is economic empowerment. That means … women must be … integrated into the country’s economy and strengthen their personal and business capabilities,” said Alejandra Mora Mora, Minister of the Status of Women and Executive President of the National Institute of Women.

Mora cited current census data that shows women’s systematic disadvantages in the workforce.

With 55 percent of working age women excluded from the labor market, an official unemployment rate for women reaching 11.3 percent, and only 64.1 percent of employed women insured through their employers, it is clear that women are disproportionately engaged in informal work that leaves them vulnerable, continued Mora who added that an estimated 40 percent of households in Costa Rica are female-headed.

Neven Mimica expressed that,  “… gender equality is not a topic limited to Europe or to Costa Rica – it is a global challenge and a responsibility that we all men and women share. Costa Rica and the European Union are partners that share the same determination in the struggle for gender equity. ”

Women earn less, own less goods, bear the burden of unpaid work, have historically been designated as caretakers, and are largely concentrated in vulnerable and low-paid activities, explained Minister Mora.

Therefore, investment in women’s economic empowerment is intrinsic to the achievement of the global Sustainable Development Goals (ODS) to which Costa Rica is a signatory, and establishes a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic development.