Egypt and Libya have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening regional cooperation on women’s empowerment following a high-level meeting between Counselor Amal Ammar, President of Egypt’s National Council for Women (NCW), and Dr. Intisar Abboud, Libya’s Minister of State for Women’s Affairs, during the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Women in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Held under the theme “The Social, Economic and Political Empowerment of Women in OIC Member States: Challenges and the Way Forward,” the meeting focused on expanding bilateral collaboration, exchanging best practices, and advancing policies that promote women’s participation in sustainable development.
At the beginning of the meeting, Counselor Amal Ammar congratulated Dr. Intisar Abboud on her recent appointment and wished her success in her new role. She reaffirmed the National Council for Women’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with women’s institutions across Arab and Islamic countries to accelerate progress toward gender equality and inclusive development.
During the discussions, Ammar presented several of the National Council for Women’s flagship initiatives designed to strengthen women’s economic, social, and political empowerment. She also highlighted Egypt’s experience in developing integrated national strategies that support women’s participation across all sectors while improving access to opportunities, leadership, and public services.
The two sides also explored opportunities for cooperation in development planning, institutional capacity building, and the exchange of technical expertise related to preparing international reports, particularly those submitted under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). These discussions reflected both countries’ shared commitment to strengthening policy frameworks that advance women’s rights and promote accountability.
For her part, Dr. Intisar Abboud outlined Libya’s National Strategy for Women, which is built around three principal pillars: protection, leadership, and economic empowerment. She expressed Libya’s interest in benefiting from Egypt’s experience in designing and implementing national programs that improve women’s participation in public life and expand economic opportunities.
Both officials emphasized that closer cooperation between Egypt and Libya can contribute to developing more effective policies, enhancing institutional capabilities, and supporting women’s meaningful participation in decision-making and sustainable development across the region.
The meeting forms part of the broader agenda of the Ninth OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, which brings together ministers and senior officials from member states to strengthen collaboration on women’s economic inclusion, education, leadership, capacity building, and policy development. Through continued dialogue and knowledge exchange, Egypt and Libya aim to deepen their partnership and support shared regional goals for women’s empowerment and sustainable development.
