Women's rights are constantly violated in the ultraconservative monarchy. Human rights organizations are shocked by the UN presidency.
Saudi Arabia Ranked 132 out of 146 in WEF Gender Equality Report 2023 Photo: Amr Nabil/dpa
Saudi Arabia will chair the United Nations Commission for the Advancement of Women in the future. The 45 member countries of the “United Nations Commission on the Status of Women” (CSW) appointed by acclamation on Wednesday in New York the Saudi ambassador Abdulasis Alwasil as president of the next session. The term lasts one year.
The human rights organization Amnesty International was shocked on Thursday. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy in which the royal family rules with an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam. It is ranked 132 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF) Foundation's 2023 report on gender equality.
“This is a shock to us, although not a surprise,” said Natalie Wenger, Amnesty Switzerland's head of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is running a big-money image campaign to present itself as a modern country. “But they are gestures that have no substance.” Women's rights are constantly violated there.
Amnesty has just mentioned in a report the case of a mother of two children who defended women's rights on platform X (formerly Twitter) during her doctoral thesis and who was therefore sentenced to 27 years in prison. Countries that take on such presidencies in UN commissions should serve as role models, Wenger said. “That's why we consider this presidency to be tragic.”
No contradiction from Western Europe
At the commission meeting, the current president of the Philippines presented the Saudi ambassador as the only candidate. “May I assume that the Commission wishes to elect by acclamation His Excellency Abdulaziz Alwasil of Saudi Arabia as President of the Commission at its 69th session?” he asked the 45 member countries. “I don't hear any objections. That's why it was decided.” The decision was met with brief applause.
There were also no objections from the “Western Europe and other countries” group. Currently, the group is represented there by Austria, Israel, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.