ABU DHABI // The General Women’s Union has vowed to continue efforts to enhance gender equality and the empowerment of women across the UAE.
The announcement came in a statement from Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, supreme chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and president of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
According to the state news agency Wam, the statement was delivered by Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, director general of the Women’s Union, before the 58th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which is being held at United Nations headquarters in New York.
"The wise leadership of the UAE believes in women empowerment, which is a fundamental factor in the country's overall development. Therefore we have a number of institutional mechanisms in place to create a conducive environment for the women empowerment based on the UAE's constitution, decisions and international agreements pertaining to women issues," the statement said.
She said the UAE was among the most advanced countries in terms of reducing the gender gap and it vowed to continue its efforts to bolster gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The union has vowed to uphold the Beijing and Cairo declarations in cooperation with the UN Commission on the Status of Women and other relevant UN bodies to promote gender equality.
At the event, Ms Al Suwaidi met with Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the UN, and conveyed to him the greetings of Sheikha Fatima.
She also met the UN Women deputy executive director, Lakshmi Puri, and discussed possible future cooperation between the two organisations.
The event in New York followed the fourth World Conference on Women and the 23rd special session of the general assembly under the theme “Challenges and Achievements in the Implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for Women and Girls.”
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