“National reviews are an opportunity for governments to state their achievements and best practices so that they might benefit others as well. In addition, highlighting challenges is very important since identifying the problem is the beginning of the solution, said the Director of ESCWA Centre for Women, Ms. Mehrinaz El Awady. “National reviews should become a tool to advocate, provide funds, and raise awareness,” she added.
The training workshop was held on 15-16 January in partnership with the League of Arab States (LAS) and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and The Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), and focused on the “Guidance Note for Comprehensive National-Level Reviews” jointly developed by UN-Women and the United Nations Regional Commissions.
In the training, participants learned more on the structure and content of the national reports, discussed obstacles, namely in terms of methodology, national consultations, and overall analytical framework.
“Determined to advance the goals of equality, development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity,” the Declaration reads in its third clause. Yet, women today are far from reaching equal rights.
“Significant progress was made in many countries but remains slow. 25 years after Beijing Declaration, we are still making the same demands we called for back then: ending violence against women, harassment, lack of opportunities, and discrimination, as well as putting an end to unequal pay,” said the UN Women Regional Director for the Arab States, Mr. Mohammad Naciri.
In her remarks, the LAS representative and member of the Department of Women, Family and Childhood, Ms. Shaza Abdel Latif, highlighted the role of regional partnership and stressed the importance of national reviews to feed into the integral Arab report to be submitted in March 2020.“
Like other regional commissions, ESCWA will prepare the Arab regional review so that the outcomes of the intergovernmental process can feed into a global review in 2020. (Click for more on previous regional reviews)
Ms. Abdel Latif stressed the need that the regional report be credible in outlining the achievements and deficiencies.
In March 2020, at its 64th session, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) will undertake a review and appraisal of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration including an assessment of current challenges that affect the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women, and its contribution towards the full realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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For more information:
Nabil Abu-Dargham, Head, ESCWA Communication and Information Unit
+961-70-993-144; email: dargham@un.org
Ms Rania Harb +961-70-008-879; email: harb1@un.org
