TEHRAN –The Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, Ensieh Khazali, in a meeting with the Kuwaiti Minister of Social Affairs, Family and Childhood Affairs, Sheikh Firas Saud Al-Malik Al-Sabah, said that Muslim countries should promote the divine family values more than ever.

The officials met on the sidelines of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 68), which is being held in New York from March 12-22.

CSW 68 is taking place under the priority theme, “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”.

Referring to the common traditions, history, and culture, the officials highlighted the need for the expansion of interactions between Iran and Kuwait on women and family, as well as collaborative programs aimed at empowering women.

Al-Sabah said the Kuwaiti government believes that the issue of empowering women and the family, which is one of the main objectives of the Kuwaiti government, can be a good opportunity to expand interactions between the two countries.

Talking about women’s status in Kuwait, he added that as statistics show the number of women as employees, senior managers of the public and private sectors, and students is growing.

Khazali, for her part, referred to a document on the rights of children, as well as drafting a document on the family, stressing the necessity to promote the family in national and international institutions.

Expressing her satisfaction with the presence of Muslim women in social positions, Khazali pointed out that 60 percent of teachers, 60 percent of students in universities, 40 percent of faculty members, and 40 percent of specialists in the country are women.

In the end, both sides emphasized the importance of cooperation in the field of family support.

On Thursday, Khazali met the forum’s chair UN Ambassador Antonio Lagdameo, urging that the “unjust decision” to exclude the Islamic Republic from the 45-nation Commission on the Status of Women should be addressed by the UN. 

The U.S. started pushing to kick Iran out of the UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) women’s forum in November 2022, following rioting in Iran over the unexpected death of a young lady at a Tehran police station and her subsequent hospitalization. 

Lagdameo appreciated the participation of the high-ranking Iranian delegation in the meeting and the frank positions which it expressed in its address to the meeting.

Lagdameo also expressed gratitude to Iran for helping Gazans and Afghan immigrants, adding that “we are also working for this issue” and that the ECOSOC should decide whether to reinstate Iran in the Commission on the Status of Women. 

He went on to commend the rise in the scientific and technological prowess of Iranian women and proposed stepping up exchanges between Iranian and Filipino colleges. 

Khazali expressed gratitude to the commission for working with Iran to organize bilateral meetings, a specialist round table, and an engaging discussion on women’s empowerment and gender equality.

MT/MG