UAE pledges additional $15 million to UN Women

Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State, said the funding will promote gender equality and women empowerment

The UAE has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. Wam

The UAE has committed an additional $15 million to UN Women over the next three years to promote gender equality, empower women and girls worldwide and advance their participation in peacemaking, conflict prevention and peace-building.

Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State, pledged the UAE's support during a meeting with Sima Bahous, executive director of UN Women, in New York on Thursday.

The meeting was also attended by Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, Amiera Al Hefeiti, Deputy Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, and Abdulla Al Harthi, Adviser to the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The funding announcement comes on the heels of the adoption of a historic UN Security Council resolution, co-authored by the UAE and UK, on tolerance, peace and security.

The resolution, unanimously adopted on 14th June during the UAE’s Security Council Presidency for the month, recognised that gender discrimination can contribute to conflict and violence, including sexual and gender-based violence.

It also stressed that the full, equal and meaningful participation of women, gender equality and women’s economic empowerment are critical in the promotion of tolerance and peaceful coexistence as well as countering extremism.

Ms Al Kaabi said the additional funding pledge reaffirms UAE’s long-standing partnership with the UN Women. It is key to not only advancing gender equality, but also other mutually shared priorities, she added.

"We firmly believe that the full, equal and meaningful participation and inclusion of women across society is essential for achieving sustainable development and lasting peace.

“This partnership will not only contribute to the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda – it will also advance the role of women and girls in climate action in the lead-up to and throughout Cop8 in the UAE, as well as foster tolerance and peaceful co-existence, especially in light of yesterday’s historic resolution.”

The UAE will be serving on the UN Women executive board from 2023 to 2025. It previously served as member of the board from 2013-2019 and as its president in 2017.

To date, the UAE has provided more than US$46 million in voluntary contributions, establishing itself as one of the top funders of the organisation globally and the leading contributor in the region.

Ms Sima Bahous said the UAE’s long-standing partnership with UN Women goes beyond financial support.

“Over the years, the strong collaboration between the UAE and UN Women has resulted in a number of achievements, including the establishment of the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak WPS Training Initiative and the UN Women GCC Liaison Office in Abu Dhabi,” she said.

Ms Nusseibeh spoke about the UAE’s close relationship with UN Women.

“We are joining forces with UN Women across platforms, as co-chairs of the Informal Expert Group on Women Peace and Security, as well as a member of the UN Women Executive Board.”

On the vital role that women play in confronting the climate crisis, she said the UAE is keen to collaborate further with UN Women in advancing climate action and technologies, particularly as the incoming host of COP28.

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