UAE-Israel-Bahrain ties ‘unlock opportunities’ for women

Officials from the three countries held one of their first joint events since the Abraham Accord was signed

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh said the UAE and Israel are champions of gender equality in the region. Bill Kotsatos / The National

The UAE’s ambassador to the UN described new opportunities for Middle Eastern women after this year’s UAE-Bahrain-Israel normalisation deals at one of the first joint events between the three governments.

UAE envoy Lana Nusseibeh spoke about women diplomats in one of the first formal joint events with officials from Israel, Bahrain and the Emirates since the Abraham Accord was signed in Washington in September.

“The UAE and Israel are champions of gender equality in our region,” said Ms Nusseibeh, according to a statement from Israel’s UN mission.

“We believe that the peace agreement between our two countries is already beginning to foster partnerships that will unlock enormous opportunities for women in the region.”

The event featured Israel’s envoy to Geneva Meirav Eilon Shahar, Bahrain’s former US ambassador Houda Nonoo and other women diplomats, who exchanged views on getting ahead in a male-dominated sector.

The virtual meeting marked 20 years since the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, which stressed the importance of women playing important roles in peace talks and blue-helmet deployments.

“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,” Israel’s UN envoy Erdan Gilad said in the statement.

The UAE, Bahrain and Israel agreed to normalise ties in September in a deal that delayed the planned Israeli annexation of Palestinian land and opened the door to business, travel and security co-operation.