Top women diplomats from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain came together on Thursday for a first-of-its-kind session to discuss the role of women in diplomacy and the need for the active involvement of women in promoting peace and security in the Middle East and beyond.
Hosted by the "Women in Diplomacy Network," the online event was moderated by its founder Sarah Weiss Ma'udi, the legal adviser to Israel's UN Mission in New York. The event featured Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva Meirav Eilon Shahar; Bahrain's UN Ambassador Houda Nonoo, and the United Arab Emirates' UN Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh.
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Eilon Shahar, Nonoo, and Nusseibeh highlighted some of the challenging issues facing women diplomats in the Middle East. The panelists emphasized the important role women at the highest levels of decision-making play in their respective countries and discussed their vision for how gender must play a role in their newly forged ties.
"The UAE and Israel are champions of gender equality in our region, and we believe that the agreement between our two countries is already beginning to foster partnerships that will unlock enormous opportunities for women in the region," said Nusseibeh.
Also in attendance was Israel's UN Ambassador Gilad Erdan, who proposed holding the event in his first meeting with his Arab Gulf partners. Erdan stressed the importance of implementing Security Council Resolution 1325, which calls for the active inclusion and participation of women in promoting peace and security.
"It is essential that women are included on every level of decision-making because a world with gender equality is a better world for all its inhabitants," said Erdan.
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He also spoke of the essential need for advancing gender equality worldwide in line with the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 5.
This was one of the first official joint events between the governments of Israel, Bahrain, and the UAE to take place since the Sept. 15 signing of the Abraham Accords.
Reprinted with permission from JNS.org
