UAE participates in UN Commission on Status of Women

A delegation from the United Arab Emirates participated in the 63^rd session of the United Nations Commission of Status of Women which concluded on Friday.

The UAE’s delegation was led by Hessa Tahlak, Assistant Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Community Development.

Tahlak highlighted the role that the UAE has played in ensuring women’s rights within the country and the region. During the national statement that she delivered at the conference, she said, “Our Founding Father, His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan left us a rich legacy that provides the vision to continue building a prosperous and tolerant society based on the principle of empowering women and girls.

“In December 2018, the #UAE issued a decree instating a quota of 50% women’s representation in the @fnc_uae by the next term – doubling the percentage of #women from 22.5% to 50% reaffirming the #UAE’s commitment to #GenderEquality & #WomenEmpowerment.”#UAExCSW pic.twitter.com/hKCzI7zbVF

— UAE Mission to UN (@UAEMissionToUN) March 14, 2019

“This vision is also supported by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, who leads the national efforts to empower women.”

The two-week event gathered women’s rights advocates from around the world at the UN”s headquarters in New York. The delegates participated in dialogues, panel discussions, debates and events geared towards promoting infrastructure, services and systems that will prevent gender discrimination and provide opportunities to women and girls around the world.

During the summit, the UAE co-hosted a discussion along with Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace, and Security, the UN Peacebuilding Support Office and Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and UN Women on the topic of amplifying the role of women in post-conflict reconstruction.

Tahlak highlighted not only the UAE’s role in advancing peace, security and advancement of women in the Arab region, but also the synergies between global women empowerment strategies and regional strategies.

“Recently, the #UAE launched its first #AI strategy – marking a new level of innovation built on smart government. It is also paving the way for unprecedented access & efficiency in delivery for #women & #girls, including those with #disabilities.”#UAExCSW pic.twitter.com/CQtlMPyLNS

— UAE Mission to UN (@UAEMissionToUN) March 14, 2019

During another event with fellow members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Tahlak invited other OIC members to work collectively for the cause.

During the summit, Tahlak cautioned that although progress had been made, there was still much work to be done on a global level. “Despite the progress, we have achieved in advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls, we need to consolidate and accelerate our efforts as we aim to take the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals to its finishing line in 2030.

“Without providing women and girls access to the social protection systems and public services, they cannot achieve full participation in society. And without the empowerment of women and girls, we will not be able to achieve global sustainable development. With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, we in the UAE believe that we must harness technology to improve social protection systems and access to public services and sustainable infrastructure that benefits everyone.”