Brazil’s former president and current head of the Brics New Development Bank (NDB), Dilma Rousseff, sent a message to the more than 4,000 women gathered in Brasília for the 5th National Conference on Policies for Women, which began on Monday (29).
“Although I am in China today, fulfilling my mission as president of the NDB, my heart and my commitment remain firmly with Brazilian women. This conference is more than a space for debate. It is the living expression of participatory democracy,” Rousseff said in a video message.
The last national women’s conference was held in May 2016, just months before Rousseff’s impeachment – a process she and many observers describe as a parliamentary coup. She reminded the audience that her last official act as president had been to open the 4th edition of the conference.
“This reunion, almost ten years later, carries even greater strength, because we have overcome a period of setbacks, political violence, and attacks on democratic achievements. I recall that the opening of the fourth conference was my last official commitment before the deeply unjust coup against our democracy. But history has shown that resistance is worthwhile,” she said.
Rousseff also celebrated what she called the “restoration of democracy” following the election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. “Today, with President Lula once again leading the government and with the Ministry of Women restructured, we have resumed the thread of hope. Under Lula’s leadership, Brazil has reaffirmed its sovereignty and its struggle for inclusive development. And this struggle requires the full participation of women,” she stated, adding that gender equality “is essential for Brazil to be just, strong, and truly sovereign.”
“Dear comrades, no violence is acceptable, no rights can be taken away. Only with collectively built policies will we be able to confront inequality, machismo, misogyny, racism, and all forms of oppression,” she stressed.
She concluded by wishing that the 5th Conference would be “a milestone of unity, courage, and mobilization,” producing guidelines capable of transforming the lives of millions of Brazilian women. “Receive my fraternal embrace, my solidarity, and the certainty that we remain together in defending democracy, equality, and dignity. Long live Brazilian women,” Rousseff declared.
The 5th National Conference on Policies for Women runs until Wednesday (1) at the Brazil International Convention Center in Brasília. The full program is available on the Ministry of Women’s official page.
