Muscat- The Sultanate of Oman today hosted the 12th session of the “Committee on Women” of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
The 12th session was held within the context of a high-level meeting on the progress made in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action after thirty years.
The meeting will be hosted tomorrow by the Sultanate of Oman, represented by the Ministry of Social Development, in partnership with the ESCWA, the Arab League and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.
Dr. Laila Ahmed Al Najjar, Minister of Social Development, said in a speech that the Sultanate of Oman has been keen to submit periodic reports on the progress made in implementing the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, as part of its international obligations.
This stance, she explained, stemmed from a participatory and interactive approach undertaken in cooperation with all government departments, Oman Human Rights Commission (OHRC) and civil society institutions.
Dr. Laila pointed out that the Sultanate of Oman focused on activating the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their objectives, including the 5th goal pertaining to "gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls".
The minister explained Oman submitted its first voluntary report in 2019 and its second voluntary report in 2024, thus reflecting people’s social wellbeing and their enjoyment of all his rights.
For her part, Mehrinaz El Awady, ESCWA Director of the Gender Justice, Population and Comprehensive Development Cluster, commended the Sultanate of Oman’s continuous support for women’s issues and joint Arab action.
El Awady said that the tasks of this session are being held in the backdrop of unprecedented circumstances and challenges, including the spread of wars in various countries of the world, noting that these impacted economic growth and global food security.
She pointed out that the size of impacted areas impacted by conflicts increased by 65 percent over the past three years in the world. She added that the Arab region was no exception, notably the persisting Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and other conflicts that accentuated the suffering of people, notably women and girls.
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