Saudi Arabia was unanimously chosen by the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) to preside over its 69th session in 2025, CNN reported, citing the Saudi Arabia Mission to the UN.
On Wednesday, Abdulaziz Alwasil, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, was chosen to serve as chair.Women’s rights activists are upset over the UN’s choice to name Saudi Arabia as the chair of a forum on gender equality.
Sherine Tadros, Deputy Director for Advocacy at Amnesty International, criticized Saudi Arabia for its infamous mistreatment of women prior to the ruling.
“It is imperative that the chair of the Commission on the Status of Women uphold the commission’s explicit mandate to advance gender equality and women’s rights.
It is imperative that the chair of the Commission on the Status of Women uphold the commission’s explicit mandate to advance gender equality and women’s rights. Tadros stated on Friday that “the vast gap between the commission’s aspirations and the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia is highlighted by Saudi Arabia’s appalling record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women.”Securing a prominent position in the commission is insufficient for Saudi Arabia to demonstrate its dedication to women’s rights. It needs to show its commitment at home with tangible deeds,” Tadros continued.
A warning on the UN decision was also issued last week by Human Rights Watch, which claimed that “Saudi Arabia systematically discriminates against women and persecutes women’s rights activists.”
However, as part of its new vision for the country, Saudi Arabia says it is eager to support women by collaborating with the CSW, CNN said.
“The kingdom’s chairmanship of the committee comes as an affirmation of its interest in cooperation within the framework of the international community in enhancing women’s rights and empowerment, and it is also in line with the qualitative achievements achieved by the kingdom in this field, thanks to the special attention and care the kingdom’s leadership pays to (women’s) empowerment and rights,” the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.
The “Saudi Vision 2030” website states that the goal of the Saudi government is to create “a strong, thriving, and stable Saudi Arabia that provides opportunity for all.”
The Saudi Press Agency went on, “Priorities and targets that centered on women’s full participation at all levels and investing their energies in a manner consistent with their enormous capabilities were also included in the Saudi Vision 2030.”