Leading charity boss will head up new advisory council
Louise Macdonald is to chair the first minister’s new advisory council on women and girls.
The Young Scot chief executive will lead the body which has a remit to raise awareness of gender issues, champion the rights of women and girls, and advocate for changes to deliver equality.
It comes on top of other initiatives promoting equality in Scotland, including a £20.3 million fund launched this year to support a variety of programmes including funding organisations preventing violence against women and girls and projects that increase representation and enhance community cohesion.
Nicola Sturgeon will announce the appointment during a speech today at the Scottish Women’s Convention’s annual event to mark the upcoming International Women’s Day (8 March).
Speaking ahead of the event, Sturgeon said: “This government has worked hard to push for a fairer and more equal society, and our record on increasing opportunities for women through better education, tackling violence and discrimination and ensuring our young women have inspiring female role models is one I’m incredibly proud of.
“I am determined to ensure there is no let up on this work though, which is why I want to establish a strong council of advisors to make sure we are not only doing all we can to promote gender equality as a government but that we are championing gender equality in all walks of life.
“With her background and experience, Louise an ideal person to lead this council, and will be a powerful advocate for Scotland’s women and girls. I look forward to working with her and the rest of the council in the future.”
Macdonald said she is honoured to have been asked to take on the role.
“There is much progress to celebrate, but also much work to be done,” she said. “Central to that will be hearing from and working with people in communities across Scotland and beyond about their experiences, insight and ideas.
“By working together we can realise Scotland’s ambition to be a beacon for gender equality across the world.”
