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This International Women\u2019s Day event, jointly organised by the IIEA and the French Embassy in Ireland, welcomes distinguished panellists, Frances Fitzgerald, Kadiatou Konar\xe9 and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem for a conversation, entitled Women in Politics: A Global Perspective on Equality in Representation and Participation in Decision-Making. This panel discussion, moderated by Martina Fitzgerald, focuses on gender equality efforts in Europe and Africa in which panellists will share their visions for a more equal future. H.E. Vincent Gu\xe9rend, French Ambassador to Ireland, and Mariam Diallo, Cultural Counsellor, will introduce the discussion on behalf of the French Embassy.\n\nAbout the Speakers:\n\nFrances Fitzgerald is an Irish MEP and long-standing parliamentarian. As a former T\xe1naiste, she was one of only four women to have held this position. She served as Chair of the National Women\u2019s Council of Ireland, Vice President of the Women\u2019s Lobby and is a member of the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee (ECON), the Women\u2019s Rights and Gender Equality Committee (FEMM) and the Development Committee (DEVE).\n\nKadiatou Konar\xe9 is the Minister of Culture, Crafts and Tourism of Mali. She is well known in the world of African publishing, passionate about culture and a human rights activist. She is also founder of the Cauris Livres publishing house as a contribution to African heritage. Under the direction of Malian journalist, Ramata Diaour\xe9, Kadiatou Konar\xe9 brought key figures to write the collective work Mars des femmes, chronique d\u2019une revolution malienne (Women\u2019s March \u2013 Chronicle of a Malian Revolution).\n\nNajat Vallaud-Belkacem is the France Director of ONE, an NGO campaigning to end extreme poverty and preventable diseases. Under President Fran\xe7ois Hollande\u2019s mandate, she served as Minister for Women\u2019s Rights and Spokesperson. She was also the first female Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research.