Iceland envoy hails India's progress towards gender empowerment

New Delhi [India], March 18 (ANI): Ambassador of Iceland to India, Benedikt Hoskuldsson hailed the steps taken by Government of India towards promoting gender parity and empowerment and said that Iceland looks forward to further deepening cooperation in this area with India.

In an interview to ANI, Ambassador Hoskuldsson said, "We take gender very seriously, it's a part of our identity and our society."

He said that he observed in India that gender is a very important part of the society. "We all need to strive for better equality."

Ambassador Hoskuldsson noted that with events such as partnerships between India and Iceland, along with the United Nations, "we can actually achieve gender equality much sooner."

"I am very proud and happy to be here. India is doing very good work on the issue of gender, and we would like to support them in this."

He shared examples of how Iceland has integrated gender policies into their society such as equal pay for equal work to men and women. Ambassador Hoskuldsson also brought to attention the parental programmes in Iceland which promote gender parity. "We now encourage both men and women to take care of their young children so that both can seek their careers in the workforce."

"Iceland and India and other countries can work together in achieving what we need to achieve because gender equality is a human issue. We need to empower all humans. We have to give everybody this chance," he said.

Lauding the government of India's policies on women empowerment, Ambassador Hoskuldsson said, "I think India is doing very well when it comes to the gender issue. The policies that the current government is putting forward and emphasising is key to unlocking this issue (gender empowerment). So I believe that the government of India is doing everything they can to achieve this goal and what we would like to do is to support that, be a part of that transition." (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)