NEW YORK, Mar 07 – Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates to the UN, in a statement at the High Level event of the General Assembly of the United Nations, held yesterday on the Contribution of Women, the Young and Civil Society, affirmed the United Arab Emirates’ support of the inclusion and integration of gender equality and women’s right and empowerment as a cross cutting constant principle in the new set of development goals post 2015.
She said that the United Nations and it’s bodies, including UN – Women is a central partner to ensure that Gender Equality is in the centre of the post 2015 development agenda.
In her speech, Ambassador Nusseibeh referred to figures indicating that women and girls are vital and effective contributors to the well-being of the family and the development of the community in general. She said, “investing in women and girls – particularly in their education – results in significant improvement and progress in health, nutrition, income, and the rates of the survival of children”.
She emphasised that in order to succeed in achieving the broader objective of the global development agenda beyond 2015, “eradication of poverty”, “it is incumbent upon all stakeholders and partners to end inequality and provide the opportunity for all segments of society, including women, children and young people, to contribute to the overall development process”.
Nusseibeh said that in order to address these issues, the international community should focus on a number of important points such as the need to ensure that the future Millennium Development Goals address the gaps and challenges specifically those related to women and girls. She pointed to the fact that Women in developing countries continue to constitute the largest segment of the poor, the unemployed and the economically marginalised, which requires a development agenda that is more gender-sensitive and where gender equality and women’s empowerment are considered top priorities.
Nusseibeh talked about the development challenges in the Middle East region, saying that the demographic transformations occurring in the Middle East region, led to an unprecedented youth bulge, with those under 25 comprising 70 per cent of the total population. She said the UAE believes that the youth are a driving force for positive change therefore, policies and programmes for young people dedicated to address their economic needs and harness their energies and initiatives should be a key part of the Post-2015 development.
Expressing the UAE’s pride of its achievements in areas of women’s empowerment, as well as the commitment of the government to do more to empower women in society, Nusseibeh highlighted the important leading role of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation and Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, in the advancement of women at the economic, social, educational and political level, pointing that Sheikha Fatima’s leadership has contributed to the promotion of women status and the enhancement of her contribution to development in all areas and helped the integration and women to adjustment of women in the new developments occurring at the national and international levels, leading to significant changes in the Emirati society as a whole.
She said the UAE hosts about two hundred nationalities from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds who work and live in the country in peace and harmony under the umbrella of a national policy characterized by moderation, tolerance and investment in human resources as a priority development strategy where ” women enjoy all rights and economic empowerment and participation in decision-making”, she added.
Ambassador Nusseibeh also said that the UAE is well aware that lack of resources and technical capacity, climate change and conflicts, pose significant challenges and major obstacles to developing countries for the implementation of development programs, including the empowerment of women and youth. Therefore, fulfilling international obligations to official development assistance constitutes a major step in achieving the Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals.
The UAE will be participating in the 58th session of the Committee on the Status of Women’s taking place in the UN head Quarters f in New York from 10-21 March with a delegation headed by Noora Al Suwiadi , General director, of the General Women Union. — WAM
