Dr. Ensieh Khazali gave a speech at the 67th meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, which was held with the aim of raising the status and examining the progress of women around the world. The full text of her speech is as follows:

 

Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen

 

I take the opportunity of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women which aims to promote the status and examine the progress of women around the world, not only in the legal position of the vice president, but also as an Iranian woman who has been empowered freely in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to state that:

The Commission on the Status of Women and other United Nations bodies are the result of long years of struggle of women and men, who had the dream to speak equally and to make decisions on an equal footing, not only for the community within superpower countries, but also for all human beings regardless of wealth and influence, color, race, gender, religion, geographic site, and economic power. Our meeting today should represent all the efforts for the success of multilateralism, but is it really the case? Have we gathered here today in equal seats and with equal votes? Depriving Iranian women of their legal right to membership in this commission by some Western politicians under the false pretenses and fake games of hired media, despite the fact that the membership had been achieved through the official process, is not just violating the principles of the United Nations and the beliefs of the world for the ideals of multilateralism, but also a dangerous and inappropriate procedure introduced for the first time, which we will certainly see repeated after this.

The bitter irony of the story is that some countries pushing this matter have the highest number of women murdered or incarcerated, especially among people of color; violence against women in those countries is an example of gross violation of Human Rights. Iran's membership was canceled, while Iranian women are in higher status compared to women of these countries in various fields, especially in health. In addition, my country has been able to educate Afghan women to high levels along with empowering its own women.

The excuse for canceling Iran's membership lacked any legal justification, was based on lies and the pressure of the hegemonic powers and the hype created by the hired media, with the purely political purpose of isolating Iran.

 

Esteemed participants,

Through a rigorous focus on nationwide and equal education, while reducing the gender gap to 97%, my country has eradicated girls' illiteracy in primary and secondary levels. Despite the dark picture portrayed by the hostile media to downplay the influence of Iranian women thinkers in the international arena, the growth of Iranian female academics has increased 17 times; while the growth of male academics has increased 7 times during the past decades. Moreover, the ratio of female faculty members has increased to about 40%, 60% of Iranian teachers are women, and according to the 2022 "Global Innovation Index" report, Iranian women with their share of 56% in higher education and post-graduate courses, have achieved the fastest growth in the field of innovation in the world.

Maximum participation of women in the development of latest technologies can be traced in 904 active knowledge-based companies with female CEOs, the participation of women in the board of directors of more than 2700 knowledge-based companies, 303 female-headed innovation companies, and the supports offered to hundreds of projects related to technology and cyberspace run by women.

The Islamic Republic of Iran urges the international community to stand against the violation of women's right to development, which is caused by wars, unilateral coercive measures, and the formation of inappropriate recent procedures in the name of Human Rights, and to prevent such approaches which violate Human Rights, especially those of women and children.

At the end, I invite you all to visit the photo exhibition of Iranian women's achievements at the United Nations headquarters.

Thank you