The National Agency for Waterway Transport (ANTAQ) launched last Friday (3rd) the Guide to Fostering Female Leadership: Navigating Together. The manual was developed by the ESG and Innovation Superintendency (SESGI) and brings together guidelines to promote gender equality, encourage female leadership, and strengthen a culture of inclusion in the waterway transport sector.
The launch event was held at ANTAQ's headquarters in Brasília (DF) and was attended by representatives from public institutions and experts to discuss advances and challenges related to women's presence in decision-making spaces.
The guide is part of an institutional collection aimed at promoting diversity and gender equity. Among the proposed guidelines are the establishment of targets to increase the presence of women in management roles, as well as the adoption of indicators to monitor the progress of these actions.
The initiative is aligned with the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, particularly considering Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5 – Gender Equality), as well as with the Institutional Strategic Plan 2025-2028, the Annual Management Plan for 2026, and the Environmental and Waterway Safety Agenda 2025/2026.
At the opening of the event, ANTAQ's director-general, Frederico Dias, stressed that the launch represents another step in strengthening the gender equity agenda in the sector: "The guide came at an opportune moment, as the transport sector as a whole, including waterway transport, has been developing this agenda. This issue is on the table." According to Frederico, initiatives like this broaden the reach of the discussion and help ensure that choices are made taking into account the criteria presented in the publication.
Representing the Ministry of Ports and Airports, executive secretary Thairyne Oliveira stated that the sector already has targets, tools, and institutional support to advance the agenda and argued that the time has come to turn this commitment into concrete action. According to her, the challenge now is to implement the planned initiatives so that, in the coming years, the presence of women in leadership positions becomes increasingly significant.
Following the launch ceremony, the event continued with a roundtable discussion on trajectories and female leadership, moderated by Cristina Castro. Participants in the debate included the president of Itaqui Port, Oquerlina Costa; the director of Infra S.A., Elisabeth Braga; the president of IBI Social, Eliane Sammarco; the director of ANATEL, Cristiana Camarate; and the superintendent of Sustainability, People and Innovation at ANTT, Cynthia Ruas. During the event, the participants shared experiences from their professional trajectories and reflected on the importance of encouragement and mentorship in developing new female leaders.
