Yesterday, an official delegation from Egypt took part in the activities of the 2-day international conference on “Advancing Women’s Rights and Empowerment” organized by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in cooperation with the Republics of Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Uganda.
The Egyptian delegation included Mona Salem, Director of the General Department of International Cooperation and International Agreements at the National Council for Women, and the First Secretary Doaa Shehata from the Egyptian Embassy in Azerbaijan, among representatives of the organization’s member states, observer states, international organizations and senior officials.
The conference took place over two days, November 20-21, in the city of Baku, the Republic of Azerbaijan.
on behalf of Dr. Maya Morsi, President of the Council, Mona Salem delivered a speech during which she stressed that the issue of empowering Egyptian women has witnessed an unprecedented boom locally and internationally during the past years thanks to the presence of a political will and leadership that believes that empowering women is a national duty, starting with the 2014 Constitution, which came with over 20 laws supporting women, and the launch of the “National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030.
In parallel, the “Egyptian Women’s Observatory” was established as an independent observatory to ensure the follow-up of its implementation. The goals of women’s empowerment were also integrated into the modernization frameworks of Egypt’s Vision 2030, and the launch of the National Strategy for Human Rights, with women as a primary focus in it. It is consistent with the objectives of the National Strategy for Women’s Empowerment 2030 and reviews Egypt’s efforts in empowering Egyptian women in all fields.
Salem asked: Where are the rights of Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip? She reiterated the demands that were presented during the International Conference on Women in Islam, which was organized by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation a few days ago in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on the necessity of taking into account women’s human rights in all discussions and discussions related to the Palestinian issue and giving them top priority.
Moreover, she repeatedly called on the United Nations to stop the war in Gaza and to call Israel for an immediate and sustainable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and to ensure safe and sustainable access to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip without restrictions or conditions for the sake of humanity.
The NCW member further demanded to stop the illegal forced displacement of women and children from their homes at all costs, provide protection to civilians, especially women, and children, and establish effective mechanisms to monitor human rights violations, especially those targeting women and children, in accordance with international humanitarian law.
She stressed her refusal to propose the idea of displacing the people of Gaza to Sinai and said: We only want peace and a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict according to the agreed-upon parameters based on Security Council resolutions and international legitimacy.
She concluded her speech by emphasizing that this conference discusses issues of advancing women’s rights and empowering them, in light of the shameful, inhumane, and unacceptable conditions that women and children are suffering from in beloved, valiant, and proud Palestine after more than 40 continuous days under the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip, and more than half of the deaths are women and children
It should be noted that this conference is the first of its kind specialized in women’s affairs organized by the Non-Aligned Movement, under the auspices of the Republic of Azerbaijan, President of the current session of the Movement.
