Ambassadors, bankers, businesswomen, editors, professors and artists today sent strong messages to the University of Tourism and Management that ladies are changing the world.

In the five panels of the International Forum for Women's Leadership, under the motto "Women write history", H.E. Ami Larsson Jain, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, H.E. Nevena Jovanović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Patricia diGiovanni, UNICEF representative in the Republic of Macedonia, H.E. Nevena Jovanović, Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia, Ms. Ilina Mangova, Deputy Director of IRI in Macedonia, Ms. Juliana Koenig, Deputy Public Prosecutor from the Republic of Croatia, Ms. Anita Angelovska-Bežovska, Governor of the National Bank, Mrs Sanja Lukarevska, director of the Public Revenue Administration, Mrs. Miglena Temlkova, rector of the University of Telecommunications and Posts from Sofia, Bulgaria and many other successful women from Macedonia and abroad.

The rector of the University, prof. PhD. Ace Milenkovski and the general secretary prof. Dr. Jana Ilieva. The forum was opened by prof. PhD. Jana Ilieva, General Secretary of UTMS, who in her welcome speech emphasized: "Throughout history, women have always been at the forefront of change, pushing boundaries and breaking down rigid social restrictions. I strongly believe that every woman has the power to write history, create a better tomorrow and leave a mark on the world!", Ilieva emphasized about the role of women in social changes throughout history and today.

Prof. PhD. Ace Milenkovski, the rector of UTMS, in his welcoming speech to the guests, thanking the women who beautify the world and highlighting their specific position in Macedonian culture and civilization, pointed out the official statistics for women in higher education today: "From year after year, more women enroll in higher education institutions in all three cycles of studies, and among those who have completed their education, women again dominate."

In the panel dedicated to successful women in diplomacy, H.E. Ami Larsson Jain, ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden, emphasized that gender equality means equal distribution of rights, representation and resources in society, 50% - 50% between men and women. She emphasized that a lot has been done in this regard, but that there is still a lot to be done in this regard. "In the corporate world, a woman has to work harder to get the same position as a man, even though she has already proven that she can do the job. In contrast, men are perceived as potential", he pointed out. H.E. Patricia di Giovanni, UNICEF representative in the Republic of Macedonia.

In the panel dedicated to women driving business, Mrs. Anita Angelovska-Bezhovska, Governor of the National Bank emphasized that the greater involvement of women in the workforce can mean higher rates of economic growth.

With this well-organized and successfully held forum, the University of Tourism and Management from Skopje, as a socially responsible higher education institution, gave
own modest contribution in opening the issues related to gender equality and women's leadership today.