Saudi Arabia will now be responsible for promoting gender quality worldwide. This was made official when the Saudi Ambassador to the UN Abdulaziz Alwasil, was elected as chair of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) on behalf of his country on Wednesday in New York. There were no rival candidates to the Saudi bid to be the chair and the appointment according to Western media reports was greeted with “acclaim.”
Speaking on the Saudi appointment, Sherine Tadros, deputy director of advocacy and representative to the United Nations for Amnesty International, warned. “The Commission on the Status of Women has a clear mandate to promote women’s rights and gender equality and it is vital for the chair of the commission to uphold this. Saudi Arabia’s abysmal record when it comes to protecting and promoting the rights of women puts a spotlight on the vast gulf between the lived reality for women and girls in Saudi Arabia, and the aspirations of the Commission.”
The Saudi appointment has been greeted with mixed feelings. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s recent announcement that his country will compete in the Miss Universe pageant where Rumy Alqahtani, a 27-year-old model, will take the stage for her country, has been welcomed. This comes in a series of reforms by the Saudi Crown Prince where women can drive, visit cafes, and go to the cinema. But critics of accused the Kingdom of “whitewashing” saying that these reforms cover up mass violations of women’s rights.
A report by Amnesty International entitled Manifesto of Repression stated that women human rights defenders in the country continue to face repression. “Prominent women’s rights activists have had travel bans and other restrictions imposed on their ability to exercise their right to freedom of expression. Saudi Arabian women who have tweeted in support of women’s rights have been sentenced to some of the longest prison terms Amnesty International has ever documented for simply expressing one’s opinions, including sentences of 45 years and 27 years. Manahel al-Otaibi currently faces trial before Saudi Arabia’s notorious counter-terrorism court simply for tweeting in support of women’s rights and posting a picture of herself on Snapchat without wearing an abaya (traditional robe).”
When first coming to power President Biden had campaigned on the plank of human rights of which he accused the Saudi Crown Prince of violating. Biden did not at first deal directly with Prince Mohammed choosing only to speak with King Sultan. This unofficial ban was later revoked when he met the Saudi Crown Prince in 2022.
