 | | | The resolution calls for the four existing U.N. offices that deal with women's issues to be merged into a single agency (File) |
DUBAI (Courtney C. Radsch) After three years of negotiations the United Nations General Assembly voted unanimously Monday to create a new, more powerful agency for women even as its top human rights commissioner lashed out at the lack of women's rights in the Gulf.
The resolution called for the four existing U.N. offices that deal with women's issues to be merged into a single agency headed by an under-secretary-general, a higher rank than currently exists.
" Everything that concerns the improvement women in the world is a positive step " Nada Maheri, Arab Woman Organization The assembly overcame a last-minute campaign by Egypt, Iran, Sudan and Cuba to delay ratification and requested Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon come up with a comprehensive proposal detailing the new agency's mission statement, organizational arrangements, funding and executive board within one year.
But even as supporters hailed the development, Navi Pillay, U.N. Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned Gulf states' record on women's rights in a speech to the rights council.
"Women's human rights also continued to be denied or curtailed in too many countries," she said Tuesday. "For example, in the Gulf region, despite recent positive developments, the overall situation of women fell well short of international standards."
Although she, noted some positive developments like the election and appointment of women in parliament and government, her remarks came as a reminder that women in the region still face high levels of inequality and unequal opportunity.
The idea for a U.N. body devoted to women emerged in 2006 from former Secretary General Kofi Annan’s reform efforts following pressure from women’s group about the need for the U.N.’s gender work to be restructured.
Although the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, and UNICEF, the U.N. children's agency, receive billions of dollars each year, there is no equivalent for women. The existing four offices for gender have a budget of about $220 million, including the U.N. Development Fund for Women, which is managed by UNDP. |
" There should be a welcoming of this resolution because UNIFEM believes it is going to strengthen the ability of the U.N. system to better deliver at the country and the regional level for gender equality and women’s empowerment " Osnat Lubrani, UNIFEM UNIFEM welcomed the resolution, calling it “an important step towards addressing the gaps and challenges in the existing U.N. gender architecture” in a statement on its website.
All regions, and especially the Middle East, have a lot of challenges concerning women’s rights, Osnat Lubrani, director of UNIFEM’s Brussels office, told Al Arabiya.
“There should be a welcoming of this resolution because UNIFEM believes it is going to strengthen the ability of the U.N. system to better deliver at the country and the regional level for gender equality and women’s empowerment,” she said.
Women’s rights organizations in the Middle East welcomed the development but said it remained to be seen what the agency would accomplish for women since the assembly did not specify the new agency’s mandate.
“I’m happy and encouraged with this development,” said Nada Maheri, director of media relations for the Arab Woman Organization in Egypt. “Everything that concerns the improvement of women in the world is a positive step.”
But, she added, she wanted to know more details on how the agency would work together with local organizations. “I would like to know the strategy of this new agency.” |
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