UAE highlights women’s role in maintaining peace and security

The UAE Parliamentary Group at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) participated in the 37th session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians, held on the sidelines of the 148th IPU Assembly and the 213th session of the Governing Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

The forum discussed the draft resolution of the Standing Committee on Peace and International Security on “Addressing the social and humanitarian impact of autonomous weapon systems and artificial intelligence,” as well as issues related to women, peace and security.

The UAE Parliamentary Group participating in the meeting included several members of the Federal National Council (FNC).

The meeting reviewed the activities to promote gender equality, contribute to the work of the General Assembly from a gender perspective, and the activities undertaken by the IPU to promote gender equality.

In a speech by the UAE Parliamentary Group on the topic of “how can parliamentarians support women’s peace building efforts,” and ensure their safety, inclusion in peacebuilding, and sound security decision-making, Dr Moza Al Shehhi said, “As parliamentarians, we have a responsibility to raise awareness about the importance of the role played by women in maintaining peace and security, especially in the field of supporting decision-making or raising legislative awareness about the role of women in peacebuilding.”

She added that the UAE’s experience focuses primarily on developing the capabilities of women in security and peacebuilding, and that Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak (The Mother of the Nation), Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), launched the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Women, Peace and Security Initiative in cooperation with the United Nations.

The programme aims to enhance international cooperation to build national, regional, and global capabilities in the field of women, peace, and security, contribute to creating a conducive environment for women, raise public awareness about gender and peacebuilding, and support the role of decision-makers in the Arab region and the international community to build their capabilities in supporting women’s participation in peacebuilding operations and activities.

The UAE ranks fifth in the IPU’s latest “Women in Parliament 2023” report, which is based on parliamentary renewals in 66 chambers in 52 countries in 2023.

“Rwanda continues to lead the IPU world ranking with women accounting for 61.3% of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, followed by Cuba and Nicaragua with 55.7% and 53.9% respectively, while Andorra, Mexico and the United Arab Emirates have parity,” said the report.

Women made up 27.6% of MPs in those newly elected or appointed chambers, an overall increase of 1.4 percentage points compared with previous polls in the same countries, according to the report.

“The global proportion of MPs who are women has inched up to 26.9%, based on elections and appointments that took place in 2023. This represents an increase of 0.4 percentage points year-on-year, a similar growth rate to 2022. However, the growth is slower than in the preceding years – elections in 2021 and 2020 saw an increase of women MPs of 0.6 percentage points,” indicated the global report.

Gender issues dominated many of the elections amid a backlash against women’s rights in some countries. The report also points out that several prominent women have recently left politics, blaming burnout and threats.

In the Americas, according to the report, women accounted for 42.5% of all MPs elected or appointed in chambers that were renewed in 2023, the highest regional percentage. The region thus maintains its long-held position as the region with the highest representation of women in the world, at 35.1%.

Globally, the share of women Speakers of parliament increased to 23.8% (up 1.1 percentage points). Cambodia and Côte d’Ivoire elected women Speakers for the first time.

WAM