Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah issued an urgent call to address the devastating impact of wars and conflicts on women and girls, noting that those who suffer the most often receive the least global attention.
اضافة اعلان
This came during her speech at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Monday, where she urged the UN to “take decisive action” against those who violate international humanitarian law, stating that “women’s rights cannot be viewed through the lens of political interests.”
She added: “Every silence sends a message that some women are worthy of defense, while others are not worth the effort. This silence has reached its limit in Gaza.”
Her remarks were made during a high-level meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, held as part of the UN General Assembly week to mark the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995.
While praising some progress toward the goals of the Beijing Declaration, Queen Rania expressed pride in many Jordanian women who “lead purposeful lives and hold on to their aspirations and ambitions.” She also noted that global violence against women has risen over the past two years to its highest level in three decades, describing it as “the most destructive challenge facing women today.”
She stated: “It is true that bombs do not discriminate among their victims, but the wounds they leave on women in conflict zones go far beyond physical injuries: gender-based violence, increased health risks, exploitation, and daily assaults on their dignity.”
Queen Rania also condemned the uneven progress for women globally and the gaps in international support, highlighting that “Sudanese women who find nothing to eat but animal feed, Rohingya girls reaching adulthood in defunded camps, and many others, have their tragedies unheard.”
She highlighted the catastrophic impact of the ongoing Israeli war and blockade on Gaza, citing cases where female journalists had to report on the displacement of their own families, women giving birth via cesarean under flashlight conditions without anesthesia, exhausted mothers unable to breastfeed due to malnutrition, and children dying of hunger.
Queen Rania stated: “Israel’s war on Gaza has reduced the average life expectancy of women there by nearly thirty years,” questioning, “What have global promises delivered to them thirty years after the Beijing Declaration?”
She also acknowledged the resilience of women in conflict zones, emphasizing that “the strength of women enduring bombardment cannot be denied. But this strength did not come because of decisions made in halls like these, but in spite of them.”
She concluded her speech by stating that the world fails generations of women by not holding perpetrators accountable, stressing: “No one can claim to defend women’s rights while standing by as a spectator.”
The high-level meeting was convened at the invitation of UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock, under the theme: “Renewing Commitment, Providing Resources, and Accelerating Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action,” which was adopted by 189 governments 30 years ago.
Statements were delivered by UN member states, as well as a number of UN agencies and international governmental organizations.
—Petra
