Saudi Arabia has called on member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to take practical measures to expand women’s empowerment and strengthen their participation in family life and society.
Speaking at the Ninth OIC Ministerial Conference on Women’s Affairs in Islamabad, Maimoonah Al Khalil, head of the Saudi delegation and Secretary-General of the Kingdom’s Family Affairs Council, emphasized the important role women play in economic development, social progress and strengthening families.
Al Khalil said a number of initiatives aimed at improving the status of women across OIC member states had been presented and expressed hope that those proposals would move from discussion to implementation.
Referring to reports presented during the conference, she said OIC countries had made progress in advancing women’s empowerment but stressed that additional programmes and stronger practical measures would be needed to achieve the organization’s long-term objectives.
She urged Islamic countries to intensify their efforts so that women could enjoy greater opportunities to participate fully in both family life and broader society.
Her remarks come after Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development reported that women’s participation in the country’s labor market had increased from around 17 percent in 2017 to nearly 35 percent in recent years.
The conference is taking place as the situation of Afghan women remains one of its principal agenda items. Since returning to power, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on women’s education, employment and public participation, prompting repeated calls from the OIC and many of its member states for those measures to be lifted.
