Please Check Against Delivery.

Mr. President,

At the outset, I express our appreciation for your efforts in guiding this meeting, and we also thank the rapporteurs for reviewing their reports to the Committee.

I would like to focus on 3 priorities for the UAE that guide our efforts in advancing and empowering women and girls:

First, sustainable and inclusive policies require the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in institutions, at leadership and decision-making levels. For us in the UAE, women representatives constitute 50% of the Federal National Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and even the UAE Mission to the UN. Female representation in these positions is crucial as they provide unique and valuable contributions to these institutions, as well as to ensure the needs of women and girls are accounted for. To further advance gender parity in the regional context, last month, the UAE launched the UAE Gender Balance Centre of Excellence, in partnership with the World Bank. This Centre will provide a platform to exchange best practices, inform policies and drive regional approaches to further advance the role of women and girls in the region. This is in line with the recently launched UAE Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026, which aims to mainstream gender and reduce gender gaps across all sectors. From the promotion to the protection of women and girls in the UAE, this strategy further contributes to the UAE’s commitment to implement more gender-responsive policies at a national level.

Second, economies, and as such societies, are stronger when women are empowered and included. This is the rationale for the UAE’s introduction of equal pay for equal work laws, and a quota to ensure women are represented in all corporate and governmental boards of directors. This priority is also demonstrated by the UAE’s focus on fostering new partnerships, such as the private sector, to advance women’s roles and agency globally, including through the UAE’s Open Debate during its UNSC presidency last March.

Third, since our founding, equal access to education has always been a fundamental pillar in building the UAE’s society. That is why, today, Emirati women make up 70% of all university graduates in the UAE, and 56% of all STEM graduates are women. The advancement of Emirati women has also been achieved thanks to the constant support and guidance of the country’s leaders in empowerment, Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Emirates.

In conclusion, Mr. President,

My country would like to express its sincere thanks and appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary-General to achieve gender parity in the United Nations.  You can continue to count on the UAE’s support to work regionally and internationally to promote and protect women and girls.

I thank you.