Australian Ambassador to Thailand joins HeForShe campaign on International Women's Day
8 March 2016
On 8 March 2016, International Women’s Day, the Australian Ambassador to Thailand Paul Robilliard, signed up to be an advocate of the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign - a campaign which asks men to take active steps to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
“I am proud to be a part of the HeForShe campaign and would like to encourage other men to do the same. I signed up to become a HeForShe advocate because gender equality is central to economic and human development. Australia is working to achieve equitable gender outcomes globally. In particular, I am committed to raising awareness and encouraging action to stop violence against women and girls - a focus of International Women’s Day 2016 in Australia. The Australian Embassy was lit up in orange last year during the 16 Days of Activism campaign to show our support for the United Nations campaign “UNiTE to end violence against women”, Ambassador Robilliard said.
Ambassador Robilliard hosted a reception with prominent women including Assoc. Prof. Dr Chavanee Tongroach, Vice Minister of Tourism and Sports; Ms Anna-Karin Jatfors, Deputy Regional Director, UN Women; Ms Oranuch Apisaksirikul, Chief Executive Officer, TISCO Bank; and representatives from United Nations organisations based in Bangkok. They came together to discuss women’s empowerment and Australia’s commitment towards ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
To celebrate women’s voices in decision–making and leadership and to support Thai and Australian women’s participation in sustainable economic growth, the Australian Embassy partnered with the Australian - Thai Chamber of Commerce to organise the “Equal Partners: Realising the Potential of Women in the Workplace” seminar held at the Kuppa Tea and Coffee Traders. Panellists explored themes of success in male dominated industries and how businesses benefit from creating opportunities that encourage women to accelerate their professional growth. Distinguished speakers included Ms Sarinrath Kamolratanapiboon, General Manager, Design World Partnership; Ms Pratamaporn Svasti-Xuto, Executive Vice President, Governance and Corporate Affairs, ANZ Bank; Ms Sally O’Hara, Country President, Thailand, ACE Life Assurance; and Mr Simon Osborne, Group Managing Director, AIP Global as the moderator.
Celebrated annually on 8 March, International Women’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on progress made in addressing gender equality and women's empowerment, and to celebrate women’s achievements. To participate in #HeForShe campaign, visit www.heforshe.org
On 8 March 2016, International Women’s Day, the Australian Ambassador to Thailand Paul Robilliard led male staff at the Australian Embassy to sign up to be an advocate of the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign - a campaign which asks men to take active steps to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.
