UAE Gender Balance Council participates in key meetings of the UN Security Council and the GCC

This active participation of the Council in these meetings is in line with the directives of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the UAE Gender Balance Council (UAE GBC), wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Presidential Court, to strengthen the Council’s global partnerships.

According to the Government of Dubai Media Office, these efforts also support the global initiative to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, with a particular focus on Goal 5, which is dedicated to empowering all women and girls.

The UAE has been at the forefront of formulating and adopting these goals, demonstrating its commitment to promoting gender equality both locally and globally.

Mona Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, participated in the UN Security Council Arria Formula meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Framework on Women, Peace and Security.

In her speech, Mona Al Marri emphasized the UAE’s strong commitment to harnessing the key principles of the international framework for women, peace and security to ensure the protection of women’s rights and encourage their full, equal and meaningful participation in the public and private spheres. sectors. Furthermore, she highlighted the importance of creating a flexible and sustainable international framework to safeguard and promote women’s rights globally.

He referred to the efforts of the United Arab Emirates in this regard. In 2017, the UAE established a national committee for sustainable development goals to implement the 2030 plan at the national level. He stressed that the current session and its productive debates demonstrate once again that the international community has established a solid framework. This foundation is essential to promote the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in social roles.

The UAE Gender Balance Council also participated in a high-level session sponsored by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) under the title “Closing the Gap: Empowering Women in the GCC Region”, which focused on the progress made by the countries of the region in the area of ​​gender balance and women’s empowerment, as well as future challenges and trends. The meeting, which featured several inspiring female personalities, provided an opportunity to highlight the tremendous strides seen in the GCC region in the field of women empowerment. It also provided a platform to share knowledge and experiences with each other.

The vice-chairman of the UAE Gender Balance Council highlighted the council’s major achievements and key projects it has implemented since its establishment in 2015 to improve gender balance in all sectors of the country. He also highlighted the council’s efforts to develop principles and policies to prevent gender-based violence through digital applications, as well as a draft policy for gender balance in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a federal budget with a perspective of gender.

During the session, Mona Al Marri highlighted the UAE’s experience in supporting and empowering women. She highlighted that the United Arab Emirates, since its founding, has laid solid foundations to ensure the empowerment of women and girls under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, (Mother of the Nation), President of the General Union of Women, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme President of the Foundation for Family Development. The implementation of many national programs and specific initiatives focused on guaranteeing women their full right to obtain balanced and fair education and opportunities in all fields are proof of this solid foundation.

She said: “The UAE is committed to implementing a comprehensive program aimed at supporting women and girls, particularly the most vulnerable groups such as low-income women, widows, divorcees, the elderly and determined people. Priority has been given to legislative updates and policy implementation to strengthen family cohesion and ensure access to opportunities without compromising their vital roles within their families.”

On the sidelines of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, Mona Al Marri met with Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women. They explored cooperation to improve gender balance and ways to overcome challenges associated with advancing women’s empowerment to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, especially Goal 5 to empower all women and girls across the world. world.