Qatar: Empowering women central to MDGs progress

Qatar has underlined that progress in empowering women and providing them with fair opportunities, and gender equality are central to any progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and to achieve sustainable development. The remarks were made by Noor al-Sada, Second Secretary at The permanent mission of Qatar at UN Geneva, as she addressed the Geneva-based 21st session of the Human Rights Council. Al-Sada added that providing more opportunities for women in the different areas of work, agriculture, finance and other sectors accelerate economic growth, which helps mitigate the effects of the current and future financial crises. Speaking about the evolution of Qatari women’s participation in practical life, al-Sada explained that the State of Qatar deals with women issues in a context that promotes their status along with all family members, through supporting woman in order to balance family and work duties. Al-Sada added that the great development the Qatari society saw in the last two decades, and the spread of education among women in particular, have empowered women and increased their contribution to the various aspects of life.