Delivered by HE Sana Suhail, Minister of Family
UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION
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Mr Chair,
At the outset, my delegation welcomes today’s dialogue and the contributions shared by colleagues so far. Today, we are here to share best practices to strengthen and protect the role of women and girls everywhere.
The UAE underscores the critical need to ensure women and girls’ access to quality healthcare. The UAE’s second National Strategy for the Empowerment of Women 2015-2021 already stipulated the provision of safe healthcare services for women to enhance their physical and psychological health. In February 2024, the UAE adopted the National Policy for Improving Women’s Health, aimed at to providing the highest level of preventive, curative, and rehabilitative healthcare services to women and girls across the public and private sector. This Policy also adopts a holistic approach, to include maternal and reproductive health, chronic disease prevention, mental health promotion, as well as support health research to enable conditions for women to lead healthier lifestyles. And, last June, updated abortion regulations came into effect in the UAE to safeguard women’s physical and mental well-being in the face of traumatic experiences.
Moreover, gender quotas have proven an important catalyst for tackling the systematic underrepresentation of women in decision-making and institutional structural barriers. To ensure gender parity and women’s full equal and meaningful participation across society and at all levels, the UAE has introduced quotas in the public and private sectors, including for public and private joint-stock companies to allocate at least one seat on their Board of Directors to women. It is critical to promote women’s economic inclusion to strengthen their decision-making and leadership roles in all aspects of their lives.
Mr Chair,
To assure a safer, more prosperous and inclusive world for women and girls beyond 2030, the UAE recommits to the full, effective and full implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We will continue to work closely with partners to move this agenda forward.
Thank you.