Head of the National Council for Women (NCW) Maya Morsi presented the 2030 Egyptian Women Empowerment Strategy on Tuesday during her speech alongside the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) meeting, according to an NCW statement.
Morsi was accompanied by a delegation from the NCW board to attend the meeting in Geneva.
Member of the council Majid Othman discussed means of evaluation of the strategy’s implementation on the ground, asserting that it is a periodic follow-up of the strategy through the cabinet, governors, and the Egyptian Women’s Observatory at the National Council for Women, to monitor indicators that reflect the achievement of the objectives of the strategy on the long term.
Furthermore, chairperson of the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights Nihad Abul-Qumsan reviewed the strategy to confront violence against women, discussing the objectives of the strategy and its implementation of the activities and role of stakeholders.
Egypt’s 2030 Egyptian Women Empowerment Strategy was first outlined in 2014 to highlight 12 key areas of focus, including education, social justice, economic empowerment, urban development, foreign policy, national security, and health, among other sectors.
The women empowerment strategy is set to include legal, social, economic, and psychological support services for women.
Article 11 of the constitution stipulates that the state is to achieve gender equality regarding civilian, political, economic, social, and cultural rights. It also urges the state to take the necessary measures to ensure women’s fair representation in parliament and calls for an end to discriminating against women. The article obliges the state to protect women against all forms of violence and to provide mothers and children with adequate care.
The article further states that “the state shall also guarantee women’s right to holding public and senior management offices in the state and their appointment in judicial bodies and authorities without discrimination. The state shall protect women against all forms of violence and ensure enabling women to strike a balance between family duties and work requirements.”
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi declared 2017 as the “Year of Egyptian Women”, stressing women’s central role for the future of Egypt, the need to safeguard their constitutional rights, and for them to be at the forefront, as well as the steps to expedite their empowerment.
