The Shura Council State of Qatar

HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti asserted that Qatari women have achieved many gains and contribute effectively to the comprehensive development process taking place in the country.

This came in a speech delivered by Her Excellency during her participation in the meeting of women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world, which was held in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Conference on South-South Cooperation.

The meeting addressed the topic of "Empowering women parliamentarians to support development and good governance in Africa and the Arab world." Participants in the meeting discussed the important roles played by parliaments in expanding women's participation in all fields, and enhancing their effective role in achieving development and implementing good governance in Africa and the Arab world.

His Excellency highlighted the good opportunities provided to Qatari women, which helped them achieve high and effective participation indicators, pointing to the opportunity for good education, high academic achievement, and the opportunity to develop and qualify for public work, explaining that the percentage of female graduates often exceeds 70 percent, and their participation in the workforce exceeds 37 percent. Qatari women occupy 30 percent in decision-making positions, and over 52 percent of specialized positions.

HE Dr. Hamda Al Sulaiti also touched on the wise leadership's vision and belief in the complementary role of women in society, and as well as the attention to enhancing their political participation.
In this context, she noted the role played by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, in supporting Qatari women, providing a role model through her attention to education, and launching many local, regional and international initiatives.

HE Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti also addressed the appreciated contribution of centers concerned with women's affairs, through training courses, seminars and awareness programs, in addition to the contribution of the Qatari media outlets in spreading awareness among citizens, especially among women.

Regarding the meeting of female parliamentarians, Her Excellency pointed out, in her speech, that it is dedicated to unifying efforts in order to enhance the role of women in society, leading to their effective participation in decision-making in the Arab and African regions, considering the commonalities and similar circumstances in the two regions; in addition to the geographical proximity and the fact that ten of the 22 Arab countries are in Africa. she pointed out that women in the Arab and African regions face similar challenges and problems, which requires concerted efforts to overcome them through partnership, cooperation and integration projects.

Her Excellency Dr. Al Sulaiti called for activating the agreements and for implementing the recommendations of the conferences and partnership mechanisms between the two regions, and holding more such meetings that allow the exchange of experiences and expertise, voicing support for the idea of establishing a network for women parliamentarians in Africa and the Arab world to be a platform for exchanging information, benefiting from bright experiences.

On the other hand, HE the Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council met with a number of parliamentary delegations, at the conclusion of the conference, where she discussed with them ways to develop parliamentary cooperation, in addition to exchanging views on the issues discussed during the conference and the results and recommendations included in its final statement.

During the participation in the conference sessions, the Shura Council delegation highlighted its vision on the issues raised, especially in the sessions that dealt with sustainable development, energy and the environment, economic transformation and regional integration, and strengthening political dialogue and regional security in Africa, the Arab world and Latin America.

HE Member of the Council Issa bin Arar Al Rumaihi spoke about Qatar National Vision 2030, its role in achieving the sustainable development goals, and ways to achieve the United Nations development goals by 2030.

For his part, HE Council Member Dr. Sultan bin Hassan Al Dhabet Al Dosari, touched on Qatar's role in mediation and championing humanitarian issues. While HE member of the Council Khalid bin Ahmed Al Obaidan, addressed the experiences of economic integration and their importance in achieving development, based on the experience of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf.