SCW participates in Arab Women Committee's 40th session

Manama, Feb. 16 (BNA): The Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), has participated in the 40th session of the Arab Women Committee, and the Regional Preparatory Meeting of the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW65-2021), held on the sidelines of the 40th session, organised by the Arab League Secretariat-General via video conferencing. Addressing the Arab Women Committee's 40th session, SCW Assistant Secretary-General, Shaikha Dina bint Rashid Al Khalifa, said that under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Bahrain has given top priority to maintaining the highest levels of social security, which supported women’s participation in the decision-making process and public life, and enhanced their role as equal partners in dealing with all challenges, the current health crisis, as well as present and future opportunities, through self-sufficiency, scientific excellence, and digital technology. She indicated that the SCW, led by Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of HM the King, has launched quality initiatives aimed at providing the necessary assistance to support women’s needs at the frontlines, or to ensure that they benefit from the government’s economic stimulus packages and decisions that support women’s family and economic conditions. The SCW’s initiatives are within the intensive national efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance the kingdom’s endeavours in the field of women’s advancement, in accordance with the sustainable development agenda 2030, in addition to its continuous honouring of its international commitments to the provisions of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the UN Security Council Resolution 1325, she said. She affirmed that the kingdom, which had realised, long ago, the importance of equal gender participation in achieving sustainable development, has now reached the level of gender balance rationalisation through mechanisms that monitor and measure the results of legislation and policies. The kingdom is also implementing plans and programmes that ensure that women’s needs and aspirations are integrated in every development effort, which will ensure women’s steady advancement, she added. She also highlighting Bahrain’s efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women through many laws, legislation, strategies and policies, citing the SCW’s launch of the National Plan for the Advancement of Bahraini Women (2013-2022), the National Strategy for Protecting Women from Domestic Violence, the national database and statistics of domestic violence (Takatof), in conjuction with the global campaign against gender-based violence in 2017. Shaikha Dina stressed Bahrain’s support for all international efforts aimed at advancing women so as to ensure gender balance across all development and humanitarian fields, ensure full recovery from the pandemic impacts and increase women’s contributions and effective partners in the development process, locally, regionally and globally. International Relations Advisor at the SCW’s Secretariat-General, Mohammed Al-Fares, also participated in the Regional Preparatory Meeting of the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The meeting aimed at unifying Arab stances ahead of the CSW65-2021, which will focus mainly on Women's full and effective participation and decision-making in public life, as well as the elimination of violence, for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.