Press Releases

Your Excellency, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), my dear friend Arsenio,

With Arsenio we were in London together back in 2002, as young diplomats and we are very proud not only for your election, but for your great work at the IMO, so I am very proud to welcome you to Cyprus,

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,

It is an honour for my country, for Cyprus to host your Annual General Meeting and Conference, and indeed it is a great pleasure for me personally to be amongst WISTA members and friends from around the world.

WISTA’s mission and vision, to connect female executives internationally and to promote diversity and women’s leadership, closing the existing gender leadership gap, is a vital one.

Dear friends,

Gender equality is a high, horizontal priority of our Government, and I am very glad to see the Commissioner here. Within this framework, for the first time, we are making substantial efforts to mainstream gender across all policies, including, of course, the maritime sector and we are proud that the largest ever participation of women in the country's history has been achieved; today, just to give you an example, in the composition of the Council of Ministers, women make up 39%, while in the Boards of Directors of semi-government organisations we have reached 40%, especially in the positions of Presidents and Vice Presidents. We have not yet reached 50/50, but we are working tirelessly to reach it and I am very confident that we will do it.

Dear Friends,

Shipping represents one of the most important pillars of the Cyprus economy and holds a crucial role in fostering substantial economic growth over the years. We are blessed to live in an island with a very long maritime tradition. At the same time, the strategic location of Cyprus, and the expertise and know-how that it has accumulated over the years, have resulted at today’s prominent role of Cyprus within the global shipping industry. We are proud that Cyprus constitutes a leading maritime cluster, encompassing a diverse range of maritime and maritime-related activities. Cyprus has established its position as the largest ship management centre in Europe, as well as ranking amongst the top leading ship registries worldwide.

Last year we celebrated 60 years since the establishment of the “Registry of Cyprus Ships”. During this time, we have maintained a robust, high-quality ship registry. The straightforward taxation system, the high level of ship safety, the full protection for financiers and mortgage lenders, the specialised knowledge and experience of our people, constitute a competitive and attractive framework of services and advantages provided by the Cyprus Ship Registry. 

Acknowledging the pivotal role of shipping in Cyprus, the Government recognises the necessity for sustainable growth and endeavours to enhance the competitiveness of our flag and, of course, our maritime cluster.

It is through proactive measures, ongoing consultations, addressing persistent challenges and the agility to seize opportunities that we lay the foundation for a sustainable future for the Cyprus registry and the broader shipping industry in our country. Ensuring both economic viability and ecological responsibility is not merely a choice, but a responsibility we bear for the future of our industry, one that necessitates forward-thinking, collaboration, and a commitment to navigating these seas of change.

Dear friends,

An integral part of sustainable growth is gender equality. Cyprus is committed towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The recent 2024 UN report on gender equality and SDGs reports steady progress towards 2030 goals. Through our National Strategy on Gender Equality 2024-2026, which was the outcome of an open and extensive consultation with the private sector, to which WISTA Cyprus also contributed, all Ministries are currently implementing related policies and actions, with the Commissioner for Gender Equality monitoring the progress achieved. In this context, an action plan promoting gender equality and inclusion of women in maritime has been formulated by the Shipping Deputy Ministry, in cooperation with the Commissioner for Gender Equality.

Numerous actions are being initiated and materialised in this respect, including the establishment of the Gender Equality Award in Cyprus Shipping, which will be bestowed annually to persons irrespective of their gender, who have made significant contributions in advancing gender equality and women empowerment in the maritime sector.

The newly established International Maritime Organization’s Award on Gender Equality was bestowed for the first time this year, together with the Gender Equality Award in Cyprus Shipping, to Ms Despina Theodosiou. A Cypriot candidate who has promoted diversity, inclusion and gender equality within the maritime industry and has achieved worldwide recognition in this regard, reaffirming Cyprus’ strong commitment towards gender equality. Despina, congratulations once again. Very well deserved.

Dear friends,

At the same time, one of the very first actions as Government was to establish the granting, on an annual basis, of a scholarship scheme in memory of the scholar Christiana Kouta, who dedicated her life to gender equality and to education. These 10 scholarships are granted to women aged 25 plus, who did not have the chance to study earlier. For this year, recipients of the scholarships will pursue undergraduate studies in fields related to shipping, innovation and technology.

Furthermore, in order to enhance women’s participation and representation in blue professions, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioner for Gender Equality, have commissioned a study, with a view to recording the gender ratio, as well as the different needs of, and challenges faced by women and men in these professions. Based on the findings, targeted measures will be designed with the ultimate aim of creating a gendered working environment in this field. To this end, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping in cooperation with the Statistical Service of the Republic of Cyprus have identified all related maritime professions and have finalised disaggregated data of these sectors. Moreover, on September 23 Cyprus joined the Women in Sustainable Economy (WISE) Initiative, aiming to enabling women’s economic participation across green and blue sectors.

In addition to what I have already mentioned, the Shipping Deputy Ministry is in the process of finalising the procedures for granting, for the first time, two scholarships, one at the World Maritime University and one at the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) for Cypriot women.

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear friends,

As a father of four girls, I would like to assure you of my personal commitment, of my Government’s determination, towards the promotion and encouragement of the engagement of more women in the maritime sector. We will always steadfastly support this goal, working together with the private shipping sector, with the International Maritime Organization. WISTA is and will remain a key partner in this regard.

I wish to once again congratulate WISTA for the excellent organisation of the conference.

Thank you.

(AS/AP)