First: Introduction
Violence against women and girls is a blatant violation of human rights. Women and girls have for long been facing discrimination despite international, regional and national efforts in this regard. The violence and discrimination women and girls face are evidenced in reports issued by international and regional bodies concerned with women's rights.
In an attempt to protect women and girls from violence in Arab societies and to promote their rights, the Coalition of Women Parliamentarians from Arab Countries to Combat Violence against Women presented an initiative in 2016 under the title “A Draft Arab Convention to Combat Violence against Women.” The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States at that time presented the subject before the Arab Women's Committee for consultation.
The draft agreement was launched during the regional conference of the Coalition of Women Parliamentarians from Arab Countries to Combat Violence against Women in Cairo in December 2016 under the auspices of the League of Arab States.
The draft was prepared based on the views and observations of member states and in cooperation with the United Nations Women, the Regional Office of the United Nations Population Fund, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Coalition of Women Parliamentarians from Arab Countries to Combat Violence against Women, and Westminster Foundation for Democracy.
The Arab Women’s Committee decided in its 40th regular session in February 2021) to refer the subject to the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights, in its capacity as the body of the League Council concerned with proposing and preparing draft Arab agreements on human rights in accordance with international standards and the obligations of member states.
After presenting the subject to the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights at its 49th regular session in August 2021, the committee decided to prepare an Arab Declaration to End All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls and to assign the General Secretariat to issue a draft to be presented to an open-ended working group formed from the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights, chaired by Kuwait, to study the draft and offer its opinion.
The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States presented the draft “
Arab Declaration to Combat All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls.pdf” to the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights in February 2022. The committee recommended the approval of the declaration and its submission to the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level for approval.
The Arab Declaration to End All Forms of Violence against Women and Girls was issued pursuant to Resolution 8768, Ordinary Session 157, of the Council of the League of Arab States at the ministerial level on 9/3/2022.
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Second: The objective of the event
The event was organised to implement the recommendation issued by the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights in its 49th session, according to which "the General Secretariat was tasked with circulating the Declaration among member states immediately upon its adoption." The objectives of the event:
- The official launch of the Declaration.
- Introducing the Declaration.
- Exchanging best practices in the field of combating violence against women and girls, nationally, regionally and internationally.
- Presenting the efforts of the League of Arab States and relevant United Nations bodies (UN Women, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia).
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Third: Participants
• Concerned national authorities in the Arab country.
• Arab diplomatic missions in Abu Dhabi.
• The relevant joint Arab action institutions (the Permanent Arab Committee for Human Rights and the Arab Human Rights Committee.)
• Concerned international and regional organisations (UN Women, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, European Union, and the Council of Europe).
• Experts, academics and media professionals in the United Arab Emirates.
