Day: March 11, 2023

During the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, United Arab Emirates Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi called attention to the importance of bridging the digital divide facing women and girls and encouraged the international community to work together to promote equal access to technology for women and girls around the world.

Delivering the UAE’s national statement at CSW67, HE Al Kaabi highlighted the need to increase opportunities for women in technology and innovation, leverage the power of the digital age to strengthen women’s political participation, and ensure women and girls are meaningfully included in preparing for the future.

“I would like to emphasize that bridging the gender digital divide requires a global partnership to maximize results, and hence ensure equal and affordable access of women and girls to information and communications technologies,” HE Al Kaabi said. “It is time to intensify our efforts in this regard and work relentlessly to bridge these gaps.”

HE Al Kaabi also joined a high-level CSW67 side-event on the current state of women and girls’ rights in Afghanistan through a dialogue with Afghan women both inside and outside the country. It was organized in partnership with the Women’s Forum on Afghanistan, the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom to the UN, UNESCO, and UN Women.

On 7 March, HE Al Kaabi participated in an open debate of the UN Security Council on “Women, Peace and Security: Towards the 25th anniversary of Resolution 1325”. She called for the meaningful inclusion of women and girls in discussions on emerging and new threats, strengthening women’s roles throughout the entire conflict continuum, and the protection of women and girls as one of the strongest tools to defend their participation and empowerment.

HE Al Kaabi also joined a ministerial discussion on addressing barriers to bridge the gender digital divide and promoting education in the digital age for achieving gender equality as well as a conference hosted by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on “Women in Islam: Understanding the Rights and Identity of Women in the Islamic World.” At the latter, she highlighted how the distortion, misrepresentation, and misperception of Islam has led to systematic discrimination against Muslim women.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Al Jaber Meets Secretary-General and Key UN Partners Regarding Raising Global His Excellency Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, Special Envoy for Climate Change, and COP28 UAE President-Designate, concluded his visit to the United States by meeting Secretary General António Guterres and holding close consultations with other key climate stakeholders at the United Nations.

During his meeting with the Secretary-General, HE Dr. Al Jaber underscored the UAE’s commitment to deepening cooperation with the UN on climate action ahead of the 28th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), which will take place in Dubai from 30 November – 12 December 2023.

From his side, the Secretary-General expressed his deep appreciation for the cooperation of the UAE’s COP Presidency and accepted the President-Designate’s invitation to attend COP28 in the UAE.

HE Dr. Al Jaber also outlined the UAE’s key COP28 priorities across mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, and process innovation. In this regard, the two sides discussed the urgent need to close the financing gap and to keep alive the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5ºC. HE Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, attended the meeting and underscored that the agendas and outcomes of the work of the UN General Assembly and COP28 should be mutually reinforcing and aligned.

HE Dr. Al Jaber also met Csaba Korösi, President of the UN General Assembly. The COP28 President-Designate highlighted the UAE’s intention to work closely with Member States to deliver a COP28 for all – one that is inclusive of diverse stakeholders, accountable for commitments, and actionable on solutions. Underscoring this commitment, HE Dr. Al Jaber briefed the Permanent Representatives of the European Union Member States on progress towards COP28 and potential areas of cooperation.

In a meeting with Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF, HE Dr. Al Jaber noted the importance of addressing the needs and priorities of children and young people at COP28.

In addition, HE Dr. Al Jaber met with Achim Steiner, Administrator of the UN Development Programme, to discuss how COP28 UAE will prioritize fragile and vulnerable communities affected most by the impacts of climate change.

HE Dr. Al Jaber also met with Sima Bahous, Executive Director of UN Women and discussed how COP28 will put gender equality at the heart of climate action and the entire COP process. The meeting was also attended by HE Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State, and HE Lana Nusseibeh, Ambassador and UAE Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

On the sidelines of the 67th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67), HE Dr. Al Jaber delivered keynote remarks at a high-level meeting to affirm the centrality of gender equality in ensuring a just energy transition and enhancing the effectiveness of climate finance. The event was organised in partnership with the UAE Mission to the UN, UN Women, and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. In his remarks, the COP28 President-Designate called on parties to identify ambitious gender deliverables for COP28 UAE.

“We want COP28 to be a COP of action, a COP of impact, a COP for all, and a COP of transformational progress. There is no way to achieve any of this vision without a fully inclusive approach that empowers all stakeholders to fully participate in the process and puts gender equality front and centre,” said HE Dr. Al Jaber. “Women’s leadership and full, equal, and meaningful participation is essential to our collective success.”

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation