Secretary-General of the Arab League Nabil El-Araby inaugurated the "Arab Women in the Sustainable Development Agenda 2015–2030" conference on Sunday. The conference is being held at the Arab Women's Organisation in Cairo from 29 November to 1 December in cooperation with both the Arab League and the regional office of the Development Programme of the United Nations and the United Nations for Women. During his speech, El-Araby said the conference proves the universal commitment to sustainable development and the UN's 17 developmental goals. What is required is the development of a unified Arab vision for women in terms of their access to educational, health, and economical empowerment. El-Araby said the Arab League is devoting all its efforts for the economic empowerment of women and countering violence against them. There are concerted efforts between Arab authorities and specialised organisations in this field to achieve fruitful and constructive cooperation. Ambassador Mervat El-Tallawy, Director General of the Arab Women's Organisation, stressed that the conference is keen on developing an Arab vision on the 17 developmental goals from a gender perspective and forcing ministries to cooperate with each other to accomplish the mission. It also aims to highlight available opportunities and the most important challenges for Arab women in the context of each of its goals. El-Tallawy said the conference aims to discuss the fundamental problems Arab women face and to provide purposeful solutions to these problems. Justice Minister Ahmed Al-Zind announced that special entities within courts of law will be formed to focus on lawsuits involving violence against women. He called the measure "a present to Egyptian women" to ensure that women acquire their rights as soon as possible. The conference seeks to formulate and document a framework regarding the status of Arab women in the context of the 17 developmental goals. It also aims to encourage government agencies to consider gender when preparing national and regional periodic reports over the upcoming 15 years.
