Kigali-30 March 2019-The booklet was unveiled on Friday 29 March 2019 during the closing of women empowerment' month workshop, a colorful event that coincided with launching the Second National Action Plan of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the Gender Management Information System [GMIS]. The workshop was organized by Gender Machinery Institutions in partnership with One UN Rwanda, Oxfam, Care International Rwanda and the Swedish Embassy in Rwanda.

The event was officiated by Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente and attended by close to three hundred delegates including Senior Government Officials, Private Sector, Development Partners, Faith Based Organizations, NGO and Civil Society.

Rt. Honorable Prime Minister Dr. Edouard Ngirente said that this year's International Women's Day theme [Together, Let's build a Safe Family] reminds us that family promotion and the country's development can only be achieved if men and women work together and support each other in all activities.

He recapped Rwanda's strong commitments in promoting gender equality and women empowerment as a foundation towards achieving the country's socio-economic transformation. "The Government of Rwanda will not tire to empower girls and women as well as giving equal opportunities to both girls and women." Echoed Prime Minister

The Premier went on saying: "We strongly believe that giving equal opportunities to men and women as well as girls and boys plays a critical role in achieving the country's desired transformation.

The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion Amb. Soline NYIRAHABIMANA expressed gratitude to all partners who played a vital role during the International Women's Day celebration and the entire women's empowerment month.

She accentuated: 'Women are no longer left behind, they are playing an important role in the country's holistic transformation.'

The State of Gender in Rwanda booklet tracks and documents progress made in promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment covering both transitional and transformational periods in line with the key indicators that were selected per the National Strategy for Transformation (NST1) pillars. On the other side, the Booklet also indicates gender gaps and strategic recommendations to guide policy makers and all concerned actors to further position and promote gender accountability in all sectors. Under the Leadership of President Paul Kagame, Rwanda has made noteworthy progress in ensuring equality between men and the country is applauded for her efforts in empowering women and girls. According to figures from the just launched report, women in leadership position is very high with 61.4% of the Parliamentarians and 50% of cabinet ministers being women respectively. Women in judiciary also constitute 49.7%. The women empowerment index shows that 24% of the land are registered to women compared to their male counterparts who own 14 % while 58.3 per cent of the land is registered on married couples.