“An attempt to improve the image”: the UN Commission on Women’s Rights was headed by Saudi Arabia

The 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women at the UN headquarters

UNWomen.org

The UN Commission on the Status of Women was headed by Saudi Arabia. It should promote gender equality and the empowerment of women around the world.

At the same time, human rights activists condemned this decision and pointed to the terrible situation with women’s rights in this country, informs The Guardian.

Abdulaziz Alwasil, the ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the UN, became the head of the Commission on the Status of Women. He was elected by “acclamation” – without counting of votes, since there was no rival candidate.

Alvasil’s candidacy was supported by the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, which are part of the Commission. Its outgoing chairman, the Philippine ambassador to the UN Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, asked the 45 members of the commission about objections – the hall was silent.

Normally the chosen country holds the presidency for two years, but the Philippines has been under pressure from other members of the Asian group. They demanded a split term of office. It was expected to be embraced by Bangladesh, but Saudi Arabia intervened.

As The Guardian notes, this act “is seen as an attempt to improve the image of the kingdom.”

Human rights groups drew attention to the irony that the Commission was chaired by a country where the gap between men’s and women’s rights is extremely wide, even on paper.

“Saudi Arabia is now at the helm, but it itself has a terrible record on women’s rights and is far from the commission’s mandate.” – said Sherin Tadros, head of Amnesty International’s New York office.

According to Louis Charbonneau, UN director at Human Rights Watch, the election of Saudi Arabia as the head of the UN Commission on the Status of Women shows contempt for women’s rights around the world.

“A country that imprisons women just for standing up for their rights has no right to be the face of the main UN forum on women’s rights and gender equality.

The Saudi authorities must demonstrate that this honor is not entirely undeserved and immediately release all detained women’s rights defenders, end male guardianship and ensure women’s full right to equality with men.” – he emphasized.

It is noted that in 2022, Saudi Arabia adopted the “personal status” law, which local officials call “progress” in the field of women’s rights. At the same time, it stipulates that a woman must obtain the permission of her husband-guardian to enter into marriage, the wife must obey her husband, and his financial support depends on the “obedience” of the woman.

According to Charbonneau, HRW tried to lobby the interests of other countries that are members of the Commission, but to no avail.

We will remind, in 2018 in Saudi Arabia allowed for the first time women to hold the position of investigator.