The Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union expresses appreciation for the UAE's steadfast efforts to enhance women's empowerment and promote the culture of gender balance.<br />''<br />''The UAE Gender Balance Council (GBC) met today to discuss new ways to strengthen cooperation with the Interparliamentary Union, the global organisation of national parliaments, in order to accelerate international efforts to achieve UN SDG 5 on the empowerment of girls and women around the world.<br />''<br />''The two organizations have agreed to conduct a joint study on the positive impact of increasing women's representation in regional legislatures.<br />''<br />''On the sidelines of the World Government Summit 2023, Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and President of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, met with His Excellency Martin Chungong, Secretary-General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Member of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal.<br />''<br />''During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to stepping up international efforts to promote women's empowerment, protect women's rights, and strengthen women's roles as leaders in government around the world. The two parties agreed to create a joint program aimed at advancing gender balance, with a<br />''particular emphasis on governments and legislatures.<br />''<br />'' The Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, one of the Global Councils on UN SDGs launched during the sixth World Government Summit in Dubai in 2018, aims to develop actionable initiatives to promote gender balance and support women and girls based on the firm conviction that gender balance is not only a fundamental human right but also the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. The Council seeks to implement innovative initiatives to ensure that women and girls have equal access to education, healthcare, employment opportunities, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes, thereby contributing to the promotion of sustainable economies and societies worldwide.<br />''<br />''One of the key achievements of the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal in the 2018-2021 phase was the development of the 'Global Advanced Practices for Gender Balance Toolkit' that provides guidelines, global legislative models and practical policies for incorporating gender balance and advancing women's empowerment in government, private sector and society.  The project was developed by the Global Council in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Her Excellency Mona Al Marri said the Inter-Parliamentary Union has contributed significantly to building the institutional partnerships and strengthening the people-to-people ties necessary to advance gender balance globally. Its comprehensive research studies have shed new light on establishing a strong gender balance culture among parliaments across the world.<br />''<br />''The Inter-Parliamentary Union continues to work to enhance the proportion of women's representation in parliaments worldwide, which currently stands at 26.4%. His Excellency Martin Chungong expressed his appreciation for the UAE's steadfast efforts to raise women's empowerment and gender balance, which has led to the country obtaining high rankings in global gender balance indices. The UAE leadership's vision has empowered women to make significant contributions to social and economic development in the UAE, he said.  <br />''<br />''The two organisations also agreed to organise a virtual global workshop to further discuss the projects of the Global Council and conduct a joint study on the positive impact of having more women in parliaments in the region. The study will draw from the UAE's successes in gender balance. Women comprise 50% of the UAE Federal National Council. The UAE was ranked first in the world in women's representation in parliament in 2020 and 2021 by the Global Competitiveness Report issued by the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.<br />''<br />''It was also placed first in women's parliamentary representation by the Global Gender Gap Report issued by the World Economic Forum for 2021 and 2022. At the World Government Summit 2023, the UAE Gender Balance Council is keen to strengthen its global partnerships as part of its efforts to raise the UAE's status as a global leader in gender balance. The Gender Balance Forum and the Women in Government Forum organised at the World Government Summit 2023 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, bring together thought leaders from across the region and the world to discuss new opportunities to advance gender balance and the participation of women in government.   <br />''<br />''<br />