I address you today to celebrate a national occasion dear to me as well as all Egyptians to remember what the Egyptian woman has already achieved and what she aspires for in the future.

The whole world celebrated the International Women's Day last week. These celebrations and festivals note that all world countries care for woman issues plus magnifying her role in the development process. We have, therefore, to be proud that Egypt has preceded the whole world in boosting the woman status.

The struggle movement of the Egyptian woman in the modern time came as a reflection to a unique Egyptian civilization peculiarity in which the woman made a link between her fight for asserting her rights and the issues of her home and its development.

March 16 will remain a distinctive landmark in the march of the Egyptian woman. On this day, the Egyptian women took to the streets to participate in the 1919 Revolution in protest against the banishing of the then leaders of the nation. Since that day, the Egyptian woman has decided to be a part of the national movement given that her stands have been a symbol of sacrifice and dedication plus being a good example for persistence to realize her goals.

The struggle of the Egyptian woman has continued along her march as she scored great gains in education, economic and political activity as well as the national work.
She has also joined new work fields and occupied leading positions in this regard; she has become a minister, parliament member, ambassador, president of a university, businesswoman and finally a judge.

With our continued and strenuous efforts exerted in the field of woman education, the spread of culture, training programs and providing health care, we have been keen on providing all support means so that the woman capabilities and potentials can unfold in the service and development of her community.

The establishing of the National Council for Woman (NCW) comes to push forward the woman issues given that it reflected the State's care for the woman plus boosting her economic, social and political situations.

Today, while following up all the exerted efforts, we feel proud and happy over the immense gains of the Egyptian woman. We have succeeded to make the community with all its segments come to discuss woman issues.

The political leadership in turn has responded to the community as a number of important legislations for woman and the community as well has been issued of which I mention the simplification of the measures in personal status affairs, family courts law, amending citizenship law in the interest of the Egyptian woman plus the new law for Non-Governmental Organizations and the establishing of the National Council for Human Rights.

The vision of the Egyptian community towards woman has changed as the issues of woman rank top the priorities of the national work and it serves as a basic component in the State's plans for comprehensive development.

With the achievements at hand, we still have to work to confront more challenges because the woman political participation has not reached its due position yet. The woman participation in the economic life should increase to fit the demands of development in our society. Hence, the conference of the NCW for this year is entitled "Maximizing the economic role of the woman, a way to confront poverty".

Dear sisters:
The future we aspire for makes it necessary to undertake due responsibilities for realizing social justice and equality. We do believe in tomorrow given that our optimism emanates from our belief in the Egyptian woman as she will go on the track which she began to realize her aspirations.