ID :
103075
Thu, 01/28/2010 - 10:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/103075
The shortlink copeid
UAE PRESENTS REPORT ON DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN TO CEDAW
Geneva, 27th Jan. 2010 (WAM) -- The United Arab Emirates presented on Tuesday its initial report to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women which stipulates that States Parties to the Convention should report periodically to the Committee on the progress they made in the implementation of the provisions of the Convention.
The UAE Delegation, headed by Her Excellency Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemy,
Minister of State, included H.E. Mr. Abdulraheem Al Awadhi, Assistant
Minister
for Legal Affairs and International Organizations at the Ministry for
Foreign
Affairs and H.E. Mr. Obaid Salim Al Zaabi, Ambassador, Permanent
Representative
of the UAE to the United Nations in Geneva and other members of the
Permanent
Mission in Geneva in addition to representatives from various UAE ministries
and institutions concerned with the issues of women such as the Federal
National Council, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Health, Labour,
Education, Social Affairs, and Justice, Judicial Department of Abu Dhabi and
other UAE Institutions including the General Women's Union, Family
Development Foundation, Abu Dhabi Shelter for
Women and Children, Dubai Social Development Authority, Dubai Foundation for
Women and Children and the UAE Association for Human Rights.
In her presentation, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashemy has highlighted the
achievements of the UAE in the implementation of the Convention and the
progress
it has made in the field of protection of women's rights and their
empowerment in the society.
The Members of the Committee of the Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women have expressed their appreciation for the report of the UAE and
commended the progress it achieved in enabling women in the UAE. The Members
of the Committee also asked some questions on the content of the report.
In her review of the report of the State, Her Excellency the Minister stated
that the UAE government has elaborated consistent strategic plans towards
the development of a national legislation so as to ensure a full integration
of women’s rights and their positive participation in the process of the
economic development of the country.
These plans are in line with the principles of women promotion and
non-discrimination and come as part of the international obligations of the
UAE to implement the provisions of the Convention which is given by the UAE
Constitution a binding legal force that is equal to national laws, as is the
case to all other similar human rights conventions to which the UAE is a
member such as the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD), the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its
Protocol to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially Women and
Children, the ILO Conventions to combat all forms of discrimination against
women such as Equal Remuneration Convention of 1957, the Convention on the
Prevention of Discrimination in Employment and Occupation of 1958, and the
Night Work Convention (Women) Revised of 1948.
In the field of regional cooperation on issues concerning women, Her
Excellency the Minister noted that the UAE hosts the office of the Arab
Family Organization which was established in 1977 which includes in its
membership almost all Arab countries. In addition, the UAE is an active
member of the Arab Women Organization which was established in 2000, and
which carries out its activities through the League of Arab States, as a
body for the empowerment of Arab women and strengthening their capacities in
all fields as a crucial component for social progress.
Furthermore, Her Excellency the Minister highlighted the degree of attention
given by the UAE in the preparation of this report and in its dealings with
the Commission, guided by the wise leadership of the State. In this respect,
the delegation included members representing most major institutions
concerned with women's issues, with the desire to work in transparency and
accept challenges and work diligently towards finding solutions to these
challenges on the basis of the reality of our society and in consistence
with our beliefs and our cultural heritage
Her Excellency the Minister also stated that the Emirati women can be proud
of what has been achieved in the field of women empowerment in the UAE for a
period as short as 38 years, which is also the time of the existence of the
UAE, and that can be considered, by all standards, an important and
remarkable progress. She referred to the UNDP reports on human development
for 2007 and 2008 which have classified the UAE in the 44th rank out of a
list of 177 countries and on the 29th rank in terms of woman development
worldwide, and in the first rank in the Arab World and GCC countries in the
field of women empowerment.
With regard to political rights, Her Excellency the Minister noted that the
Federal National Council witnessed a strong representation of women, as it
included 9 women members of which 8 were appointed and one was elected, thus
accounting for 22.5% of the whole Council.
Her Excellency the Minister further highlighted that the representation of
women in the Council for the first time reflects a political wisdom of the
leadership of the UAE and the importance it gives to the political
participation of women. In this regard, she also indicated that role of
women has culminated with the appointment of 4 women Ministers in the
current Government namely: Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Social
Affairs, and 2 Ministers of State.
Her Excellency the Minister pointed out that the entry of women into the
political arena is a qualitative turning point in the process of democratic
action which the UAE is experiencing, since UAE women have been able to take
a prominent status in the society and to assume leadership positions which
enabled them to make valuable input and give their thoughts and perspective,
and advice in decision making. Her Excellency the Minister added that the
UAE women also joined the diplomatic corps within the Ministry of foreign
Affairs, as two of them were nominated Ambassadors in the Kingdom of Sweden
and the Kingdom of Spain, and a third as a General Consul in Shanghai. In
the justice system, The Minister recalled that a number of women have been
appointed at different levels of the judiciary such as Attorney General and
judges and reminded the CEDAW members that the first female judge and the
first Public Prosecutor nominated in the UAE were present in the room as
members of her delegation. She pointed out that there are also women who
joined the military and the police and assumed the rank of Brigadier in the
armed force, while others have been appointed as Secretary General of the
Council of Ministers, and 12 of them are presently in the governing bodies
of chambers of commerce and industry.
In terms of strengthening the role of UAE women in the economic field, Her
Excellency the Minister noted that the Government has launched a set of
initiatives aimed at strengthening the role of women in business and in all
economic areas through the development and promotion of women’s capacity in
order to enhance their contribution in the economic development through the
establishment of boards of businesswomen, as well as the launching of a
Business Women Award in the UAE.
In the field of education, Her Excellency the Minister cited statistics of
the Ministry of Education indicating an increase in the number of women
enrolled in general education and technical teaching. She said that their
number rose from 15,696 students in 1972/1973 to 145.956 students in
2004/2005 and the number of government female schools has reached 318
schools in the different Emirates. Moreover, Her Excellency said that in
relation to the participation of women in higher education, the United Arab
Emirates is considered as of one of the highest in the world with 95% of
female students and 80% of male students graduated from high school, with
the possibility of choosing to attend national institutions of higher
education in the or apply for scholarship abroad. The number of female
students enrolled in public higher education institutions has reached 24,880
during the academic year 2005/2006.
In matters of health services, Her Excellency the Minister quoted the latest
statistics released by the Ministry of Health in 2007 which indicate that
there are 85 hospitals in the UAE, in addition to the 468 centers for
primary health care, and 12 centers and 122 units for mother and child for
primary health care. She recalled that the statistics of the Ministry of
Health show also the decrease of infant mortality at birth, at 5.15 children
per 1000 live births, which corresponds to less than 10 deaths of children
per year, as the 99% of births are supervised by skilled professionals, thus
preventing any maternal mortality due to pregnancy, childbirth or
postpartum.
Regarding the health care for mothers and children, the UAE provides all the
services needed through primary health care centers belonging to the
Ministry of Health in addition to the women's associations which are engaged
in the promotion of health awareness. In the near future, a Supreme Council
for motherhood and childhood already approved by the Council of Ministers
will be established and preparations are presently underway to set up the
organizational and managerial structure of this new entity. A Decision has
been issued recently by the President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood
and Childhood to set up a High Committee which will be responsible for
laying down a National Strategy for Childhood and Motherhood.
As to the social welfare, Her Excellency the Minister pointed out that this
issue is at the heart of the Government's strategy since the foundation of
the UAE and aims primarily at providing adequate housing, as well as
granting a monthly financial aid to 16 social categories of people such the
elderly, the disabled, the orphans, the widows and divorcee women. According
to Her Excellency, more than 37,848 families benefit from this program as
the Government pursues a policy that provides social services by using
mobile units for home care which provide health are and medical follow-up
for the elderly, as well as giving guidance, counseling and psychological
support at home through a medical team which includes doctors, nurses and
social workers. She said that more than 11171 of elderly receive social
assistance in addition to some specialized institutions which provide
daytime shelter services for the elderly without requiring residency with
the aim of keeping the elderly within their family environment.
With respect to the issue of trafficking and exploitation of persons,
especially women and children, Her Excellency the Minister explained to the
Committee members that the United Arab Emirates society is basically a
conservative society which strongly rejects all acts which affect women,
stressing that the religious and cultural beliefs prevailing in the UAE
society deplores such practices. In this regard, she highlighted the
different national legislations that were enacted to punish these practices,
particularly the Federal Law on Combating Human Trafficking Crimes.
With respect to the issue of labor, Her Excellency the Minister stated that
the Government of the United Arab Emirates, attaches a great importance to
this issue, particularly the employment of domestic workers as it passed in
April 2007 a mandatory standard formula for all employment contracts for
domestic employees and their employers, at the federal level. At the same
time, Her Excellency the Minister said that the common labor law regulates
domestic labor within these categories as appropriate with the nature of
their profession and the like business while covering other aspects such as
health care, salaries and duration of contract as well as giving domestic
workers adequate periods of rest in addition to providing health treatment
in accordance with the health system in force in the country.
Her Excellency revealed to the audience that the UAE government is currently
preparing a draft law on service assistance which includes domestic workers
and their employers, as well as all the contractual relationship of
employment, including all the rights and duties incumbent upon all
Contracting Parties, amongst which the designation of dispute settlement
bodies capable of receiving complaints and dealing with litigation
procedures in matter of working hours and types of leave and pay. The new
law, she said, will be issued soon after completion of the adequate
constitutional procedures.
In this regard, She emphasized that the penal laws of the Government
consider acts of abuse and physical assault as crimes punishable by
penalties including imprisonment and imposing fines.
Regarding the situation of women in the remote areas, the Minister
highlighted the attention paid by the United Arab Emirates to such a
category of women through the development programs run by the Ministry of
Social Affairs which led to the opening of social development centers in
theses areas so as to ensure that services are provided to the largest
possible segments of the population. According to the Minister, these
centers provide care and social security, in partnership with working
women's associations and their branches which contribute to such activity
through education, awareness-raising and care for women in those areas. The
Ministry of Education has also participated in the promotion of these areas
by opening schools for males and females as well as encouraging adult
education to combat illiteracy, with the help of women's associations.
In her concluding remarks, Her Excellency the Minister made a comment on the
reservations made by the UAE when it ratified the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In this respect,
She mentioned that the principle of reservations which the convention
allows, serve to cope with the human diversities whether cultural, social or
religious, which led to constructive global partnership to protect the
rights of women in all the 186 countries which have ratified the convention.
She assured the CEDAW members that despite the reservations made by the UAE
on certain articles of the Convention, the UAE is working on its application
to an extent not contrary to UAE legislation and cultural heritage.
The UAE Delegation, headed by Her Excellency Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemy,
Minister of State, included H.E. Mr. Abdulraheem Al Awadhi, Assistant
Minister
for Legal Affairs and International Organizations at the Ministry for
Foreign
Affairs and H.E. Mr. Obaid Salim Al Zaabi, Ambassador, Permanent
Representative
of the UAE to the United Nations in Geneva and other members of the
Permanent
Mission in Geneva in addition to representatives from various UAE ministries
and institutions concerned with the issues of women such as the Federal
National Council, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Interior, Health, Labour,
Education, Social Affairs, and Justice, Judicial Department of Abu Dhabi and
other UAE Institutions including the General Women's Union, Family
Development Foundation, Abu Dhabi Shelter for
Women and Children, Dubai Social Development Authority, Dubai Foundation for
Women and Children and the UAE Association for Human Rights.
In her presentation, Her Excellency Reem Al Hashemy has highlighted the
achievements of the UAE in the implementation of the Convention and the
progress
it has made in the field of protection of women's rights and their
empowerment in the society.
The Members of the Committee of the Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women have expressed their appreciation for the report of the UAE and
commended the progress it achieved in enabling women in the UAE. The Members
of the Committee also asked some questions on the content of the report.
In her review of the report of the State, Her Excellency the Minister stated
that the UAE government has elaborated consistent strategic plans towards
the development of a national legislation so as to ensure a full integration
of women’s rights and their positive participation in the process of the
economic development of the country.
These plans are in line with the principles of women promotion and
non-discrimination and come as part of the international obligations of the
UAE to implement the provisions of the Convention which is given by the UAE
Constitution a binding legal force that is equal to national laws, as is the
case to all other similar human rights conventions to which the UAE is a
member such as the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
(CERD), the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its
Protocol to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons especially Women and
Children, the ILO Conventions to combat all forms of discrimination against
women such as Equal Remuneration Convention of 1957, the Convention on the
Prevention of Discrimination in Employment and Occupation of 1958, and the
Night Work Convention (Women) Revised of 1948.
In the field of regional cooperation on issues concerning women, Her
Excellency the Minister noted that the UAE hosts the office of the Arab
Family Organization which was established in 1977 which includes in its
membership almost all Arab countries. In addition, the UAE is an active
member of the Arab Women Organization which was established in 2000, and
which carries out its activities through the League of Arab States, as a
body for the empowerment of Arab women and strengthening their capacities in
all fields as a crucial component for social progress.
Furthermore, Her Excellency the Minister highlighted the degree of attention
given by the UAE in the preparation of this report and in its dealings with
the Commission, guided by the wise leadership of the State. In this respect,
the delegation included members representing most major institutions
concerned with women's issues, with the desire to work in transparency and
accept challenges and work diligently towards finding solutions to these
challenges on the basis of the reality of our society and in consistence
with our beliefs and our cultural heritage
Her Excellency the Minister also stated that the Emirati women can be proud
of what has been achieved in the field of women empowerment in the UAE for a
period as short as 38 years, which is also the time of the existence of the
UAE, and that can be considered, by all standards, an important and
remarkable progress. She referred to the UNDP reports on human development
for 2007 and 2008 which have classified the UAE in the 44th rank out of a
list of 177 countries and on the 29th rank in terms of woman development
worldwide, and in the first rank in the Arab World and GCC countries in the
field of women empowerment.
With regard to political rights, Her Excellency the Minister noted that the
Federal National Council witnessed a strong representation of women, as it
included 9 women members of which 8 were appointed and one was elected, thus
accounting for 22.5% of the whole Council.
Her Excellency the Minister further highlighted that the representation of
women in the Council for the first time reflects a political wisdom of the
leadership of the UAE and the importance it gives to the political
participation of women. In this regard, she also indicated that role of
women has culminated with the appointment of 4 women Ministers in the
current Government namely: Minister of Foreign Trade, Minister of Social
Affairs, and 2 Ministers of State.
Her Excellency the Minister pointed out that the entry of women into the
political arena is a qualitative turning point in the process of democratic
action which the UAE is experiencing, since UAE women have been able to take
a prominent status in the society and to assume leadership positions which
enabled them to make valuable input and give their thoughts and perspective,
and advice in decision making. Her Excellency the Minister added that the
UAE women also joined the diplomatic corps within the Ministry of foreign
Affairs, as two of them were nominated Ambassadors in the Kingdom of Sweden
and the Kingdom of Spain, and a third as a General Consul in Shanghai. In
the justice system, The Minister recalled that a number of women have been
appointed at different levels of the judiciary such as Attorney General and
judges and reminded the CEDAW members that the first female judge and the
first Public Prosecutor nominated in the UAE were present in the room as
members of her delegation. She pointed out that there are also women who
joined the military and the police and assumed the rank of Brigadier in the
armed force, while others have been appointed as Secretary General of the
Council of Ministers, and 12 of them are presently in the governing bodies
of chambers of commerce and industry.
In terms of strengthening the role of UAE women in the economic field, Her
Excellency the Minister noted that the Government has launched a set of
initiatives aimed at strengthening the role of women in business and in all
economic areas through the development and promotion of women’s capacity in
order to enhance their contribution in the economic development through the
establishment of boards of businesswomen, as well as the launching of a
Business Women Award in the UAE.
In the field of education, Her Excellency the Minister cited statistics of
the Ministry of Education indicating an increase in the number of women
enrolled in general education and technical teaching. She said that their
number rose from 15,696 students in 1972/1973 to 145.956 students in
2004/2005 and the number of government female schools has reached 318
schools in the different Emirates. Moreover, Her Excellency said that in
relation to the participation of women in higher education, the United Arab
Emirates is considered as of one of the highest in the world with 95% of
female students and 80% of male students graduated from high school, with
the possibility of choosing to attend national institutions of higher
education in the or apply for scholarship abroad. The number of female
students enrolled in public higher education institutions has reached 24,880
during the academic year 2005/2006.
In matters of health services, Her Excellency the Minister quoted the latest
statistics released by the Ministry of Health in 2007 which indicate that
there are 85 hospitals in the UAE, in addition to the 468 centers for
primary health care, and 12 centers and 122 units for mother and child for
primary health care. She recalled that the statistics of the Ministry of
Health show also the decrease of infant mortality at birth, at 5.15 children
per 1000 live births, which corresponds to less than 10 deaths of children
per year, as the 99% of births are supervised by skilled professionals, thus
preventing any maternal mortality due to pregnancy, childbirth or
postpartum.
Regarding the health care for mothers and children, the UAE provides all the
services needed through primary health care centers belonging to the
Ministry of Health in addition to the women's associations which are engaged
in the promotion of health awareness. In the near future, a Supreme Council
for motherhood and childhood already approved by the Council of Ministers
will be established and preparations are presently underway to set up the
organizational and managerial structure of this new entity. A Decision has
been issued recently by the President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood
and Childhood to set up a High Committee which will be responsible for
laying down a National Strategy for Childhood and Motherhood.
As to the social welfare, Her Excellency the Minister pointed out that this
issue is at the heart of the Government's strategy since the foundation of
the UAE and aims primarily at providing adequate housing, as well as
granting a monthly financial aid to 16 social categories of people such the
elderly, the disabled, the orphans, the widows and divorcee women. According
to Her Excellency, more than 37,848 families benefit from this program as
the Government pursues a policy that provides social services by using
mobile units for home care which provide health are and medical follow-up
for the elderly, as well as giving guidance, counseling and psychological
support at home through a medical team which includes doctors, nurses and
social workers. She said that more than 11171 of elderly receive social
assistance in addition to some specialized institutions which provide
daytime shelter services for the elderly without requiring residency with
the aim of keeping the elderly within their family environment.
With respect to the issue of trafficking and exploitation of persons,
especially women and children, Her Excellency the Minister explained to the
Committee members that the United Arab Emirates society is basically a
conservative society which strongly rejects all acts which affect women,
stressing that the religious and cultural beliefs prevailing in the UAE
society deplores such practices. In this regard, she highlighted the
different national legislations that were enacted to punish these practices,
particularly the Federal Law on Combating Human Trafficking Crimes.
With respect to the issue of labor, Her Excellency the Minister stated that
the Government of the United Arab Emirates, attaches a great importance to
this issue, particularly the employment of domestic workers as it passed in
April 2007 a mandatory standard formula for all employment contracts for
domestic employees and their employers, at the federal level. At the same
time, Her Excellency the Minister said that the common labor law regulates
domestic labor within these categories as appropriate with the nature of
their profession and the like business while covering other aspects such as
health care, salaries and duration of contract as well as giving domestic
workers adequate periods of rest in addition to providing health treatment
in accordance with the health system in force in the country.
Her Excellency revealed to the audience that the UAE government is currently
preparing a draft law on service assistance which includes domestic workers
and their employers, as well as all the contractual relationship of
employment, including all the rights and duties incumbent upon all
Contracting Parties, amongst which the designation of dispute settlement
bodies capable of receiving complaints and dealing with litigation
procedures in matter of working hours and types of leave and pay. The new
law, she said, will be issued soon after completion of the adequate
constitutional procedures.
In this regard, She emphasized that the penal laws of the Government
consider acts of abuse and physical assault as crimes punishable by
penalties including imprisonment and imposing fines.
Regarding the situation of women in the remote areas, the Minister
highlighted the attention paid by the United Arab Emirates to such a
category of women through the development programs run by the Ministry of
Social Affairs which led to the opening of social development centers in
theses areas so as to ensure that services are provided to the largest
possible segments of the population. According to the Minister, these
centers provide care and social security, in partnership with working
women's associations and their branches which contribute to such activity
through education, awareness-raising and care for women in those areas. The
Ministry of Education has also participated in the promotion of these areas
by opening schools for males and females as well as encouraging adult
education to combat illiteracy, with the help of women's associations.
In her concluding remarks, Her Excellency the Minister made a comment on the
reservations made by the UAE when it ratified the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. In this respect,
She mentioned that the principle of reservations which the convention
allows, serve to cope with the human diversities whether cultural, social or
religious, which led to constructive global partnership to protect the
rights of women in all the 186 countries which have ratified the convention.
She assured the CEDAW members that despite the reservations made by the UAE
on certain articles of the Convention, the UAE is working on its application
to an extent not contrary to UAE legislation and cultural heritage.
