Saudi women's inclusion in Shoura Council highlighted at UN Commission

Arab News

11-03-2025

RIYADH: During the 69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women held at UN headquarters in New York, Hanan bint Abdulrahman Al-Ahmadi, assistant speaker of the Shoura Council, praised the reforms carried out by Saudi Arabia and the role these have played in empowering Saudi women.
Al-Ahmadi said that Saudi Arabia's chairmanship of the commission, held from March 10-21, reflects the Kingdom's remarkable achievements in a short period of time and its success in empowering women.
She underscored the impact of Saudi Vision 2030 in supporting women through legislative reforms that put their rights at the forefront and increased their contributions to society.
Al-Ahmadi affirmed that women's membership in the Shoura Council was a significant step in the journey toward empowering Saudi women.
In her praise of the historic decision granting women full membership rights in the council, Al-Ahmadi noted that this move has led to women participating in decision-making on economic, educational, environmental, and healthcare matters, among others.
She stated that legislation serves as the unwavering foundation upon which women's empowerment efforts are built to achieve desirable and sustainable results and emphasized the active role the Shoura Council plays in supporting this progress, as evidenced by the enactment of various laws over the past decade on women's rights.
Al-Ahmadi also highlighted that the Shoura Council exercises parliamentary oversight over government agencies by reviewing their annual reports and issuing decisions accordingly.
She noted that women have been at the center of many of those decisions, some of which have called for increasing employment opportunities for women in numerous sectors, protecting their rights, and ensuring their inclusion in leadership roles across all fields.
Al-Ahmadi heads the Shoura Council delegation participating in the CSW69, which also includes council members Princess Al-Jawahara bint Fahd bin Khalid Al-Saud and Amal bint Abdulaziz Al-Hazani.
The commission will discuss a range of pressing topics such as poverty, violence against women, work opportunities, youth engagement, and climate change.