Abu Dhabi: The Women’s Empowerment and Role in Sustainable Development forum, which was organized by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Academy in collaboration with the Human Rights Division, brought together participants to engage in discussions covering a diverse range of topics related to the rights and empowerment of women.
During the forum, various subjects were addressed, such as the international mechanisms aimed at safeguarding women’s rights, the rights and responsibilities of women with disabilities, the involvement of women in promoting sustainable development, the significance of constitutional and national laws in protecting women’s rights and eradicating all forms of discrimination against them, and the crucial role played by the Public Prosecution and the judiciary in reinforcing this protection. The forum took into account Declarations of Rights, International Treaties, National Legislation, and Practices as its foundation.
Counselor Mansour Al Marzouki, President of the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court, highlighted the efforts of the UAE to empower women and enhance their important role in achieving the goals of sustainable development, indicating that women were distinguished by their endless giving in serving the country in various work fields, as they showed their high efficiency and merit over years by assuming senior and significant leadership positions in various fields and vital sectors in the state.
Counsellor Dr. Abdul Majeed Mahmoud, Head of the Technical Office of the Judicial Inspection Division, who ran the event sessions, stressed the key role of women in achieving sustainable development and being an integral part of it. Dr. Abdul Majeed pinpointed the importance of international covenants and national legislation in ensuring women’s rights and enhancing international protection for them.
Ms. Fatima Al Kaabi, Vice President of the National Human Rights Commission, presented a statement entitled “Mechanisms for the International Protection of Women’s Rights,” where she shed light on the international legal framework for women’s rights and human rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, noting that during the past year 2022, the UAE was ranked first in many global indicators of women’s rights, including the parliamentary representation index and the rate of girls in education at all educational levels, while ranked 11 globally in gender equality and the first rank in the Arab and Gulf countries.