According to the Public Relations of the Vice Presidency for Women and Family Affairs, as an initiative of Iran, the specialized panel on “Empowering Women: Empowering the Family, Developing the Society” was held in the 500-seat Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) chamber of the UN, which was massively welcomed by attendees from around the world.
As the director of this panel, Dr. Khazali, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs of Iran stated: “Due to the great importance of active participation of women in the success of families and advancement of societies, paying attention to the empowerment of women, on the one hand because of their unique capabilities and on the other hand because of their deep effect on the family members and the happiness and dynamism in the societies, has an exceptional role in the advancement and development of societies. If they are empowered and have more knowledge, women – as the multi-function, key members of a family – may not only be successful themselves but may also help raise a more informed generation, which will result in the comprehensive development of societies.”
She then continued: “It is evident that societies in which women’s empowerment has received sufficient attention are more dynamic and developed in economic, social, and cultural terms.” In this regard, she referred to some achievements of Iran in various arenas such as technology, health, culture, and art.
Then, Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, the Qatari Minister of Social Development and Family, referred to the measures taken by her country in the women and family domain and emphasized the necessity of making legal reforms, establishing institutions, and improving culture in order to empower women and increase their participation.
Ms. Al-Misnad said: “A homemaking woman is the pillar of the family as a mother, wife, teacher, and trainer, and the government should Today we must focus on the education and training of women and define family-oriented jobs, so that women can be with their children and also have an income.”
Then, Mr. Liu Zhenmin, the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs of the UN, gave a video speech in a video speech: “With an emphasis on financial support and poverty alleviation among the women, we can step toward the fulfillment of developmental objectives. Today we should pay attention to the education of women and define jobs in a family-oriented way so that women can both spend time with their children and have income.”
Referring to the fact that the time to fulfill the sustainable development objectives is due to end, he stated: “It is through more policymaking in women’s domain that the fulfillment of these objectives can be actualized. “
Ms. Rosalin, the Acting Ministerial Secretary at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, was the other speaker of the panel. In addition to addressing the developments of her country in the women’s domain based on international indicators, she suggested that part of her country’s success was due to using SME’s capacity and the finances allocated to the entry to small and medium enterprises. She said in this regard: “In Indonesia, five main objectives have been implemented to improve the conditions of women and families, namely increasing women’s entrepreneurship, increasing women’s maternal function of women in the family, reducing violence against women, and reducing children’s marriage and work.”
Another speaker on this panel was Ms. Daisy Khan, a social activist and the director of the “Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality” (WISE) NGO from the United States. She introduced Lady Khadija (s), the wife of the Prophet of Islam (s), as the outstanding exemplar of a successful woman based on the current standards of women’s success. She said in this regard: “Khadija (s) is an exemplar of successful women whose gender did not deter her extensive social activities. Today, Muslim women have widespread financial rights in families.” Dr. Khan also stated: “Muslim women throughout the world are active, and although the media try to depict them otherwise, they are seriously active in family, society, science, economy, politics, education, and child raising, and the Muslim women present in this meeting are proofs for this issue.”
The deputy of the Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the United Nations pointed to the genocide of women and children in Gaza and thanked the Iranian stance in this regard. He strongly condemned tyrannical sanctions against countries, including Iran and Venezuela, and introduced it as a violation of the rights of women and children.
Moreover, the deputy of the Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations thanked Iran and the panelists for holding this side panel and said: “Family is the first and most essential group in which one becomes a member. An individual becomes a member of a family as a social group right from their birth time. A healthy family helps with the physical and mental welfare of individuals, especially women.”
He then said: “Economic opportunities that support women lead to increased development, and by encouraging women to participate in economic activities and providing financial resources, we can succeed in the enhancement of the family institution as the most fundamental social unit.”
At the end, the questions asked by the attendees were answered. It is noteworthy that in this meeting, the Minister of Women and Family Matters of Tajikistan and Dr. Iravani, the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Ambassador to the UN headquarters in New York were the special guests.