By: Tatiana Rabat
In 2019 I was the protagonist of a wonderful coincidence: In addition to the fact that the banner motto chosen by the International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) was “Empowering women in the maritime community”, I was the first Colombian to participate in the “Women in Port Management” program. given by the OMI and the Port Institute for Education and Research -IPER-, during the months of June and July in Le Havre, France.
Thanks to the nomination of the Regional Port Society of Cartagena as an employee of the sector, I was able to apply for a scholarship that allowed me to study port development with women from all over the world.
The Program is part of the IMO’s contribution to the achievement of the so-called Sustainable Development Goals –ODS-(SDG)- of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, specifically for number 5, whose purpose is to achieve gender equity and empower women and girls.
During the Program, I studied management in the maritime and port business, the projects expected in the future, and how women can be agents of change in this sector that is so important for the economy. Thanks to what I learned, I was able to strengthen my knowledge and skills to carry out my work in the SPRC.
And without planning it, this course also allowed me to fulfill a dream, in a dimension that I would not have imagined. France was the host country for the Women’s World Cup and during my stay in Le Havre, a quarter-final match was held, played by the England and Norway teams. The English scored 3 spectacular goals. Again, life showed me that celebrating women is my way.
The testimony of each partner, the energy radiated by these wonderful women, hardworking and passionate about the maritime business, made me feel that I am in the right place, actively participating in a change in global consciousness, where women are occupying important places in the development of the economy and we not only act from the usual contexts, such as work at home or family life.
The most important lesson I take away from this program is that women can have it all. EVERYTHING. We can be mothers, wives, daughters, successful professionals, travelers, athletes, artists, etc. We can build our own version of being a woman, from the diversity of scenarios in which we work. A woman doesn’t know a word of impossible.
