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On the path to equality...
Published: 10th June 2008

BAHRAIN has progressed greatly towards gender equality in politics, education, health and the labour market, a top United Nations official yesterday.

Women's roles in Bahrain have increased, as they participate in civil society and non-governmental organisations (NGOs), said UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Bureau for Arab States director Amat Al Alim Al Soswa.

"This progress has been made possible by the efforts of the kingdom and men and women of the country and the Supreme Council for Women (SCW)," she told the conference.

"The SCW's strategy has put the kingdom on a clear path to empowering women in the fields of government, economy, civil society, education, health and environment," she said.

"However, Bahrain and other Arab countries face difficult challenges, especially on the level of women's participation in decision-making.

"But these challenges continue to unite us to reach our combined goals."

Ms Al Soswa said the UNDP in Bahrain had worked closely with the SCW to enrich women's political and decision-making roles.

"The UNDP will continue to provide support through developing the abilities of the SCW's initiatives to empower women politically, economically and in mainstream development," she said.

The 2005 Arab Human Development Report revealed that Arab women were generally making important gains, although they had not made complete use of their capabilities, said Ms Al Soswa.

"There are still a large number of women who are not given chances in the social, economic and political fields, because of laws and traditions," she said.

"These obstacles in the Arab world have caused an increased slide in the social and economic situations of men and women."

But statistics can sometimes give the wrong impression, she said. "Although there are challenges facing women, a recent survey on www.bayt.com revealed that women are taking leading positions in the work place on an increased scale in the Middle East and that gives a positive perspective on men acknowledging women and their role and rights in the work place," said Ms Al Soswa.

She said that the UNDP needed to continue its efforts to support the progress that has been achieved and also to face continuous challenges.

"Mainstreaming gender is currently one of the main activities of the UNDP in the region, as it has prepared regional programmes," said Ms Al Soswa.

"They are the Arab Human Development Report, Information and Communi-cation Technology for Development in Arab Region, HIV/AIDS Regional Programme in the Arab States and then Programme on Governance in the Arab Region."

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