The UAE has underscored the critical need to effectively eradicate poverty among women and girls, who constitute half of society.
The country emphasizes the importance of adopting a comprehensive societal approach to mobilize the necessary funding to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls. The UAE expressed its commitment to collaborate with all relevant parties to achieve these goals.
In a statement delivered by Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State, at the 68th session of the UN in New York during a ministerial roundtable discussion on policies and strategies to eliminate poverty among women and girls, the UAE highlighted this meeting as a significant opportunity to review achievements and reassess approaches to mobilize funding for gender equality.
Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi emphasized the priority of intensifying support for women-led or owned businesses, enhancing their presence and participation in the labor market, and encouraging businesses to cater to women’s needs and perspectives.
This includes implementing policies that encourage governments to actively promote the involvement of women-led or owned businesses in public procurement, recognizing that governments set policies, make purchases, and are key players in the public procurement system.
The UAE supported the global joint campaign launched by UN Women and the International Trade Centre to incorporate women’s needs and perspectives in public procurement.
This campaign urges governments and policymakers to strategize and implement measures to alleviate the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the tendering market and to focus on creating suitable work environments for women.
Concurrent with these efforts, Her Excellency Noura Al Kaabi stressed the necessity of adopting and implementing policies that ensure equal access to financing for both women and men, prevent the gender pay gap, and protect women and girls from poverty.
For instance, the UAE has enacted laws to prevent discrimination in banking transactions and credit access and mandates women’s representation on the boards of companies listed in capital markets.
In conclusion, Her Excellency stated, “As women and girls represent half of society, effectively eradicating poverty among them requires the involvement of all relevant and active parties, including the public and private sectors.”
She added, “The UAE has always advocated for a holistic societal approach to mobilize the necessary funding to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls, and we remain committed to collaborating with all concerned parties to attain these objectives.”
Furthermore, the UAE affirmed that prosperity results from educating women and girls, and peace and security come from their contributions to their communities.
The country emphasized that attributing the deprivation of women’s rights to Islam is incorrect and not representative of the religion.
The UAE, along with the United Kingdom, UN Women, the Policy Research and Development Studies Organization, and ODI Global Consulting, co-hosted a high-level discussion on “Reframing Security from the Perspective of Women and Girls Living Under Taliban Rule in Afghanistan,” on the sidelines of the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
