The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women completed its 57th session on Friday, the outcome of the meeting being a new declaration signed by more than 130 member states aimed at ending violence against women. Despite the overwhelming support shown by member states towards the declaration, several Arab nations expressed reservations on a number of issues dealing with women's agency, female sexuality, abortion and women's role in society. At the time of writing, the UN had not released the full list of agreed-upon articles discussed in the meetings. The Canadian National Council for Women (NCW) published a partial list, which included the full participation of women in the formal economy, tackling gender discrimination and shattering gender norms. Mervat Tallawy, President of the Egyptian NCW and head of the Egyptian delegation, said on Saturday that the declaration is a gift for Egyptian women on National Women's Day. She congratulated Egypt's 40 million women, adding that the declaration demonstrates NCW's keenness to support women at all levels and fields. The declaration, Tallawy said, is an honour for her and for Egyptian women who have made many sacrifices for the nation since 1919, particularly during the 2011 revolution. According to an NCW press release, Tallawy said Egypt has agreed to the implementation of the declaration in accordance with the legislative laws of the country, taking into account the traditions of the nation. She said the declaration is currently making its way to the UN General Assembly, where it will become “a moral obligation of the state to implement in accordance with domestic laws". Although General Assembly resolutions are non-binding, they do exert pressure on non-compliant member states when there is a clear majority of supporters. Groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood reject the declaration, saying it breaches Islamic Sharia. The group listed ten points which they say represent “the final step in the intellectual and cultural invasion of Muslim countries," such as recognition of homosexuality and abortion.
