UAE Gender Balance Council to work with IPU on achieving UN's SDG 5

The UAE Gender Balance Council (GBC) has discussed new ways to work with the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to achieve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), which is focused on empowering girls and women globally.

Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the GBC and President of the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG, met with Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the IPU and Member of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, to discuss their commitment to advancing gender balance. The two parties agreed to develop a joint program with a focus on governments and parliaments.

The meeting formed part of the GBC’s World Government Summit engagements and events being held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.

Al Marri praised the support of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed for the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG and the cooperation and support of the IPU for the initiatives of the Global Council. One of the key achievements of the Global Council for the 5th UN SDG is the development of the "Global Advanced Practices for Gender Balance Toolkit," which provides guidelines and policies for promoting gender balance and women's empowerment.

Chungong expressed his appreciation for the UAE's efforts in raising women's empowerment and gender balance, which has led to the country ranking highly in global gender balance indices. The two sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation to increase women's participation and organise a virtual global workshop to further discuss the projects of the Global Council and conduct a joint study on the positive impact of having more women in parliaments in the region.

The UAE Gender Balance Council is participating in the World Government Summit 2023 to strengthen its global partnerships and raise the UAE's status as a leader in gender balance. The Gender Balance Forum and the Women in Government Forum organised at the Summit will bring together thought leaders from around the world to discuss new opportunities to advance gender balance and women's participation in government.

News Source: Emirates News Agency