Saudi Arabia has affirmed its commitment to achieve real and effective empowerment of women and to enable them to perform their role in building the Kingdom alongside their male counterparts without any discrimination.

Speaking at the annual meeting of the Executive Council of the United Nations Women and Gender Equality, Mohammed Al-Ateeq, acting charge d'affaires at Saudi Arabia's permanent delegation to the UN, made the remarks.

He noted that the Kingdom has appreciated the report that was released on the implementation of the strategic plan 2018-2021, which many governments have aligned with in order to achieve the goals of empowering women.

Saudi Arabia has made several reforms in the field of human rights over the past few years, but the one that has received the most attention is the rights of women.

By amending existing laws, regulations and legal bases, the Kingdom has enhanced women's rights and empowered them on an equal footing with men. Among these laws are: the civil status law, the labor law, the social security law, the traffic law (Muroor), and the travel document law.

According to Al-Ateeq, Saudi Arabia was one of the topmost countries in the world in implementing reforms to laws and regulations relating to women according to the World Bank's Women, Business and Law Report for 2020 and 2021, a result of accelerated reforms undertaken by the Kingdom to empower Saudi women.

Saudi Arabia scored a full 100 for five indicators - mobility, workplace, entrepreneurship, retirement, and wages - but Saudi female economic participation rate increased by 94% between 2017 and 2020.

Saudi Arabia has taken several special measures to advance the empowerment of women in the business and economy sectors, including launching several initiatives to accelerate tangible and effective achievements in this regard. Among the most prominent are:

Among the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD) to empower women are:

1. Women empowerment.

2. The National Platform for Saudi Women Leaders, in partnership with Princess Nora Bint Abdulrahman University, has reached 9,077 women registered on the platform.

3. In the Q3 (third quarter) of 2021, 1,044 working women were enrolled in the Qurrah program, which supports children's hospitality.

4. By the third quarter of 2021, 13,950 women had benefited from the Wusool program, which facilitates the transfer and mobility of working women.

5. Free-lending program, which expands the circle of opportunities for females, as well as increasing their income according to their skill set.

6. In addition to providing women with the opportunity to achieve a work-life balance, "part-time work" and "telework" programs enable women in rural and remote areas to engage in the labor market.

In addition to the MHRSD, other initiatives have been launched, including the Human Resources Development Fund "Hadaf", which in turn launched several initiatives, including Tamheer Program, an on-the-job training program for Saudi graduates, whose number of beneficiaries reached 70,000 by 2019.

In the Q2 (second quarter) of 2021, the percentage of women on the Doroob platform, a national e-training platform, reached 53.8%.

Approximately 115,491 beneficiaries participated in the Employment Support Program, through which the Fund provides financial support for targeted qualitative employment.

Saudi women are now able to hold high positions as a result of reforms in the Kingdom. Currently, they serve in leadership and supervisory positions in a variety of ministries, government institutions, universities, and many others.

Al-Ateeq reported that the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions increased from 28.6% in 2017 to 41.4% in the first quarter of 2021.

Al-Ateeq reaffirmed that Saudi women are considered active partners in political and public life in the Kingdom through their decision-making, election, and nomination processes.

97 women work in the council, and women participate in municipal elections, run for office, and are elected to the Council of Chambers of Commerce.

Over the years, Saudi women have held high international positions through participation in international and regional organizations.

A Saudi woman held the position of Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund and Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations at the United Nations in addition to her participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the University of Arab Countries, and the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf

As of the end of the first half of 2021, Al-Ateeq said the number of women enrolled in the telecommunications sector had increased by 24.9%.

It was made possible by the women's empowerment program of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, which aims to improve their participation in the digital sector and enable them to reach leadership positions in the field.

Additionally, the economic participation rate for Saudi women has increased due to the launch of the (Private Sector Alliance Initiative to Empower and Support Women's Economic Representation) in the G20 to advance women in leadership positions by encouraging companies to commit and pledge to support women's access to senior positions in their institutions, and encouraging other companies to join.