The Shura Council State of Qatar

HE Speaker of the Shura Council, Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, is set to lead a delegation representing the Council at the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, which opens tomorrow, Tuesday, in Geneva.

Held under the theme "The Role of Parliaments in Promoting Pluralism, Ensuring Justice, and Implementing the Sustainable Development Goals 2030", the three-day event is a quinquennial gathering co-organized by the United Nations and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

It primarily seeks to reinforce the parliamentary dimension in the UN operation and operationalize partnership between parliaments and the UN organizations to address the common global challenges.

Participants are poised to deliberate on critical topics, including strengthening justice and equality, reviewing the progress made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as enhancing youth engagement and advancing the parliaments' role in overcoming multiple crises.

HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council, Dr. Hamda bint Hassan Al Sulaiti, took part in the 15th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament, which took place in Geneva on Monday under the theme "Leadership for Inclusive and Lasting Peace".

The summit, organized by IPU, convened female Speakers of Parliament from across the globe, and explored a whole raft of foremost issues, particularly the role of parliaments in keeping up with digital transformation, putting out legislative frameworks for emerging technologies, bolstering cybersecurity, in addition to backing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of environment, education, health, and green economy.

Addressing the first session titled: "The Women, Peace and Security Agenda 25 Years On: Challenges and the Way Forward", HE Al Sulaiti noted that the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security has not achieved the intended change, albeit a quarter of a century has passed since its adoption.

She drew attention to the persistent underrepresentation of women in mediation processes, the absence of effective accountability mechanisms, and the profound suffering of women in conflict zones, especially refugees and human rights defenders.

Her Excellency called for transition from promise to implementation through pursuing national and regional mechanisms to hold perpetrators of violations against women to account, engaging women in all phases of peacebuilding, and fostering partnership between parliaments, the UN, and civil society to activate Resolution 1325.

This resolution is not merely a document, but rather a moral and human obligation to protect women and foster just and enduring peace, HE Al Sulaiti underlined.

In addition, HE Al Sulaiti tackled the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, emphasizing that the State of Qatar marshals substantial efforts to end this tragedy and spearheads regional and global movements in collaboration with partners to end the blockade and massacres against women, children, and sick people in the occupied territories amid the lack of international protection.

Held on the margins of this conference, the summit is a high platform that aims to promote women's role in parliamentary action and enable them to effectively contribute to crafting policies and engaging in the decision-making process.