UAE organizes Geneva-event on Women and Girls in crisis

CAIRO – 21 June 2017: The United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Gender Reference Group organized an event Wednesday titled, “Moving from Commitments to Implementation: Women and Girls in the Context of Crisis.”

The event is part of the Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) and will take place June 21-23 in Geneva. The Geneva-HAS event discusses internal reform measures for the UN and other humanitarian and development agencies to guarantee that the needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls are planned for and met during humanitarian crises. Furthermore, the forum discussed possible mechanisms to empower women as first responders in crises, as income generators for their families and to become instrumental in the development of resilience in themselves, their households and their communities.

The annual meeting of “Every Woman Every Child Everywhere” is planned to take place in Abu Dhabi during the second week of December. The Abu Dhabi event will bring together over 40 of the largest and most innovative humanitarian and development organizations to agree on necessary programming to enhance the lives of women and girls across the world.

The Geneva-HAS event was chaired by Obadiah Salem Saeed Nasser Al Zaabi, Ambassador/Representative of the UAE to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva. It was moderated by Daniel Seymour, Humanitarian Director at UN Women and panelists included the Under Secretary General Jemilah Mahmood.

ECOSOC is the UN's central platform for reflection, debate, and innovative thinking on sustainable development. The ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) provides a unique opportunity for Member States, UN entities, humanitarian and development partners, the private sector and affected communities to discuss emerging and pressing humanitarian issues. This year's HAS is organized under the theme “Restoring Humanity and Leaving No one Behind: Working together to reduce people’s humanitarian need, risk and vulnerability”.