Sudan Participates in the 15th Extraordinary Meeting of Executive Council of the (AWO)

Haffiya Abdalla

Sudan Government has presented at the 15th extraordinary meeting of the Executive Council of the Arab Women Organization

A proposal to take into account the geographical distribution in the appointment of employees, experts, and technicians

The attendees discussed the agreement to establish the organization, especially the articles of the Supreme Council of the organization and the conference, and the participants stressed the importance of maintaining the Council and transferring it to the General Assembly, in addition to the importance of keeping the conference mechanism and the need for the organization to follow the system of regulations followed by the specialized organizations of the League of Arab States.

The Arab Women Organization (AWO) is an intergovernmental organization established under the umbrella of the League of Arab States and headquartered in Egypt. It emerged from the Cairo Declaration issued by the First Arab Women Summit which convened in Cairo, in November 2000 and was co-organized by the National Council for Women in Egypt, Hariri Foundation in Lebanon, and the League of Arab States. AWO’s agreement came into effect in March 2003.

The AWO aims at:

Empowering Arab women and building their capacities to promote the progress of Arab societies.

• Raising awareness of the necessity of engaging women as equal partners in societal development.
• Coordinating Arab efforts to foster women’s empowerment and elevate awareness of their vital role in society.

The AWO has several objectives:

• Achieving solidarity of Arab women as a cornerstone for Arab solidarity.
• Coordinating common Arab stands regarding Arab and international affairs and when dealing with Arab women issues in regional and international organizations.
• Raising awareness regarding economic, social, cultural, and legal issues about Arab women.
• Fostering cooperation and exchange of experience between member Arab states to enhance the status of women according to women issues priority in developmental policies and plans.
• Empowering women and building their capacities as human beings and citizens to play an effective role in societal institutions, in the labor market, and in decision-making circles.
• Enhancing essential health and education services for women.

Supreme Council

Includes Arab First Ladies or their representatives. Its presidency rotates biennially according to the alphabetical order inforced at the League of Arab States.

It is worth noting that the Arab Woman organization (AWO) believes that women are a key factor in achieving sustainable development and that, gender as a cross-cutting issue must be mainstreamed throughout the goals if long-term sustainable development is to be achieved. Empowerment of women and gender equality is the basis for maintaining sustainable development, peacemaking, social securities and welfare in the Arab region. Securing gender equality through access to education, health services, suitable employment, and political and economic decision-making process will fuel the achievement of economic development in the region.