HE the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Hamda bint Hassan al-Sulaiti has said that Qatari women have significant achievements and contribute effectively to the comprehensive development process taking place in the country.
This came in a speech delivered by Dr al-Sulaiti during her participation in the meeting of women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world, which was held in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Conference on South-South Co-operation.
The meeting addressed the topic of 'Empowering women parliamentarians to support development and good governance in Africa and the Arab world'. Participants in the meeting discussed the important roles played by parliaments in expanding women's participation in all fields, and enhancing their effective role in achieving development and implementing good governance in Africa and the Arab world.
Dr al-Sulaiti highlighted the good opportunities provided to Qatari women, which helped them achieve high and effective participation indicators, pointing to the opportunity for good education, high academic achievement, and the opportunity to develop and qualify for public work, explaining that the percentage of female graduates often exceeds 70%, and their participation in the workforce exceeds 37%. Qatari women occupy 30% in decision-making positions, and over 52% of specialised positions.
She also touched on the wise leadership's vision and belief in the complementary role of women in society, and as well as the attention to enhancing their political participation.
In this context, she noted the role played by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, in supporting Qatari women, providing a role model through her attention to education, and launching many local, regional and international initiatives.
Dr al-Sulaiti also addressed the appreciated contribution of centres concerned with women's affairs, through training courses, seminars and awareness programs, in addition to the contribution of the Qatari media outlets in spreading awareness among citizens, especially among women.
Regarding the meeting of female parliamentarians, she pointed out, in her speech, that it is dedicated to unifying efforts in order to enhance the role of women in society, leading to their effective participation in decision-making in the Arab and African regions, considering the commonalities and similar circumstances in the two regions; in addition to the geographical proximity and the fact that 10 of the 22 Arab countries are in Africa. She pointed out that women in the Arab and African regions face similar challenges and problems, which requires concerted efforts to overcome them through partnership, co-operation and integration projects.
Dr al-Sulaiti called for activating the agreements and for implementing the recommendations of the conferences and partnership mechanisms between the two regions, and holding more such meetings that allow the exchange of experiences and expertise, voicing support for the idea of establishing a network for women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world to be a platform for exchanging information, benefiting from bright experiences.
The Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council met with a number of parliamentary delegations, at the conclusion of the conference, where she discussed with them ways to develop parliamentary co-operation, in addition to exchanging views on the issues discussed during the conference and the results and recommendations included in its final statement.
During the participation in the conference sessions, the Shura Council delegation highlighted its vision on the issues raised, especially in the sessions that dealt with sustainable development, energy and the environment, economic transformation and regional integration, and strengthening political dialogue and regional security in Africa, the Arab world and Latin America.
HE Council member Issa bin Arar al-Rumaihi spoke about Qatar National Vision 2030, its role in achieving the sustainable development goals, and ways to achieve the UN development goals by 2030. For his part, HE Council member Dr Sultan bin Hassan al-Dhabet al-Dosari, touched on Qatar's role in mediation and championing humanitarian issues.
While HE Council member Khalid bin Ahmed al-Obaidan, addressed the experiences of economic integration and their importance in achieving development, based on the experience of the Co-operation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.
