NHRC Chairperson H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah speaking at the opening ceremony of Second Edition of the Global Leadership Academy for Women in Doha yesterday.
Doha, Qatar: The second edition of the Global Leadership Academy for Women under the theme,‘Leading in the Digital Era’ kicked off yesterday in Doha with a large number of participations from local and international organisations.
The four-day event is jointly organised by National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions, United Nations Development Program, United Nations Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, and German Agency for International Cooperation.
Addressing the opening ceremony Chairperson of the NHRC, H E Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, who also chairs the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions said that achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is closely linked to the digital empowerment of women and girls.
To achieve a more sustainable and just world, it is necessary to ensure the effective participation of women in policy-making and decision-making, she noted.
Al Attiyah said that there is a common thread between women’s empowerment and leadership in the digital age and the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 and other relevant resolutions.
She said that the role of women in preventing conflicts, in peacemaking, and in participating in relief, recovery and reconstruction efforts has become an important and priority issue in light of the devastating wars the world is experiencing, in which women pay a heavy price. Al Attiyah noted that armed conflicts in general exacerbate the marginalisation of women in all areas.
She stressed the need for countries today to commit to enhancing women’s and girls’ access to digital technology and benefiting from it in the field of enhancing leadership capabilities, access to information, and creating platforms for interaction, networking, and exchanging experiences and expertise among them.
Al Attiyah noted the multiple roles played by national human rights institutions through monitoring legislation and various relevant measures and practices and providing their views on them, and through conducting fruitful dialogues between all stakeholders and official structures on various emerging human rights issues.
She encouraged national human rights institutions to continue their efforts in monitoring, evaluation and making recommendations to address the gaps.
Al Attiyah called for more coordination between national institutions to exchange expertise, experiences and best practices related to enhancing women’s leadership and enabling them to participate effectively in all fields.
Deputy Speaker of Shura Council H E Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti, praised the efforts and initiative of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar and its partners.
She said that this initiative aims to contribute to achieving peace and development by enhancing women’s participation in the decision-making process.
Al Sulaiti said that women have always remained an integral part of society, and are the cornerstone of sustainable development in societies, as they represent more than half of the world’s population, and their roles and responsibilities towards the family and society are diverse.
She stressed the need for women to participate in decision-making processes in order to shape a better future for the world, and our region in particular, calling for more partnerships between various institutions to launch academic initiatives and implement various training programs to enhance the capabilities and potential of women and girls in decision-making processes and fields.
