International Women’s Day

Reaching out to Singaporean Youths on Women’s Issues

To mark the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day (IWD), and the 50th anniversary of the Singapore Women’s Charter, the Australian High Commission supported the inaugural Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) – Singapore Management University Debating Tournament, which was held from 25 to 27 February 2011

HE Mr Doug Chester, Australian High Commissioner to Singapore said, “International Women’s Day is a key celebration for Australia and its foreign missions across the world. It is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of women, but also to recognise the challenges still facing women. We are extremely honoured to support the first SCWO-SMU Debate, which reached out to many Singaporean youths and broadened their understanding of women’s issues.”

The Australian High Commission and Westpac Asia sponsored the Best Speaker Prize for the Tournament with a pair of return airfares to Australia. The prize was awarded to Mr Robin Teo, a third-year law student at the National University of Singapore. Mr Chester and Mr Lloyd Cartwright, Managing Director and Head of Financial Markets Asia for Westpac Asia, will present Mr Teo with the Best Speaker Trophy and prize at the SCWO Celebration Dinner on 9 March 2011 at the Regent Hotel.

With the theme of ‘Creating the Future: Women in Society, Economy and Government’, the Tournament involved around 40 teams from Singapore’s tertiary institutions debating topics related to the status of women, including women’s economic power and the United Nations’ Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The event also marked the UN International Year of Youth.

In Australia, the Australian Government has partnered with UN Women Australia and the National Women’s Alliances to run a series of events throughout the year to celebrate this auspicious centenary.

Regionally, the Australian Government supported the Advance Women’s Leadership Summit in Sydney (7 to 8 March), which saw the gathering of more than 200 current and emerging women leaders from the Asia Pacific region, including a number of representatives from Singapore. In addition, the Australian Government will work with the World Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) to support the development of women’s leadership. It will provide AUD$500,000 in funding over two years to the World YWCA’s Power to Change Fund, which provides leadership training programmes to young women worldwide.

Australia will also be marking Commonwealth Day 2011 on 14 March 2011, alongside other Commonwealth countries. With the theme of “Women as Agents of Change”, this year’s Commonwealth Day celebrations aim to increase investment in women and girls to accelerate social, economic and political progress. Australia will be hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, Western Australia, in October 2011.