" Federal National" Participates in the twentieth plenary session of the Mediterranean Parliament in Montenegro

Budva (Montenegro) on 9 May / WAM / Her Excellency Maryam Majid Bin Thaniah, Second Deputy Speaker of the Federal National Council, Chair of the Council Group in the Mediterranean Parliament, delivered a speech during the work of the twentieth plenary session of Parliament, which was held in the city of Budva in the Republic of Montenegro, in her capacity as President of the second session of the Forum for Parliamentary Women in Parliament.

Bin Thaniah stressed that the UAE’s hosting of the second session of the Women Parliamentarians Forum, which was held at the headquarters of the Federal National Council in Abu Dhabi, under the generous patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (Mother of the Emirates), President of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme President of the Family Development Foundation, constituted an important milestone in the process of joint parliamentary work that brought together more than 200 participants from various regions of the world, and its discussions reflected a high level of awareness of the challenges. During the joint session, the participants agreed on a set of specific recommendations that will guide the course of action during the next stage.

The proceedings of the twentieth plenary session were attended by members of the Federal National Council group in the Mediterranean Parliament, Her Excellency Amna Ali Al-Adidi, Vice-Chairman of the group, and Her Excellency Mudhahia Salem Al-Menhali.

Maryam bin Thaniah added that despite the achievements achieved by women in many countries of the world, they do not obscure the fact that the challenges facing women and girls still exist, and are imposing themselves with increasing urgency. To date, countries have not achieved full legal equality between the sexes, which highlights the responsibility of parliamentarians to transform these challenges into opportunities, by adopting more just and comprehensive policies and legislation.

She indicated that the forum adopted a set of priorities that constitute a road map for its work during the next phase, based on the agenda of women, peace and security, and relying on the role of parliaments in bringing about change. She said that the forum works, within its objectives, to enhance the integration of women’s perspectives into security and counter-terrorism strategies, in line with Security Council Resolution No. 1325; And developing legal frameworks to protect human rights, in light of the increasing threats, stressing in this context that confronting all forms of violence and violations against women requires strengthening legislative frameworks and intensifying efforts to protect them.

Her Excellency pointed out that the representation of women in decision-making positions is still below the desired level globally, and that the path towards achieving political parity requires parliaments to redouble efforts, and women’s empowerment should not only be limited to the political field, but should extend to include economic empowerment as well.

She added that with the acceleration of digital transformation, new challenges are emerging that require legislative and institutional support, especially with regard to electronic harassment and the misuse of artificial intelligence technologies, stressing that achieving these goals requires integrated institutional work, in addition to supporting the capabilities of national parliaments, and activating the Forum’s Advisory Council, in a way that contributes to supporting the decision-making process, and enhancing the legislative and oversight impact of joint parliamentary work.

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