SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia — Assistant Speaker of the Shoura Council Dr. Hanan Bint Abdulrahim Al-Ahmadi, leader of the delegation, said empowering women is a journey that has no end line and that the world is working extensively to achieve this goal, stressing that Saudi women are proud of the march of women's empowerment in the Kingdom.

She made this statement during her speech at the Third Eurasian Women's Forum Friday here. The event was organized by the Federal Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia in cooperation with the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member Nations, under the theme "Women: A Global Mission in a New Reality.

During the opening session of the forum on its second day, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed the participants stressing that the forum brings together political women leaders, businesswomen, and activists in the public sector from more than 100 countries around the world, in light of the circumstances the world is going through today.

President Putin added that women, with their great awareness of the value of life and compassion, have always had a special mission in health care, reiterating confidence that this will continue in the future.

He stressed that women will have a role in developing the health care sector, pharmaceuticals, and protecting public health, taking into account the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, and appreciating the female doctors and workers in the health sector for their efforts in the face of the coronavirus across the world.

In her speech at the opening of a session titled "The G20 Women's Group (W20), and the Role of Women in Restoring Stability”, including the Women's Group (W20), Al-Ahmadi praised Saudi Arabia's hosting of the G20 meetings, while the whole world was going through tough times, noting that the challenge was great due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, which prompted the meetings to be held virtually.

Al-Ahmadi said the final declaration and the recommendations of the W20 emphasized the economic role of women, support for entrepreneurship, support for women to assume leadership positions, and participation in decision-making in the public and private sectors, as well as other aspects of women's empowerment.

She noted that empowering women is a journey that has no end line and that the world is working extensively to achieve the goal in the field of women empowerment, stressing that Saudi women are proud of the march of women's empowerment in the Kingdom.

She cited that since women's education in the 1960s, the Kingdom has been able to balance in enabling opportunities between the genders in education through educational programs and scholarships, whereby Saudi women have obtained the highest educational degrees.

She highlighted that the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and its programs, led by the Crown Prince, gave women's empowerment great attention, as one of the most prominent outputs of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 was the formulation of legislation that supports the empowerment of women’s rights, including equal wages and the provision of job opportunities in all sectors, supporting women in leadership positions, and promoting women's rights.

Al-Ahmadi stated that there is a substantial legislative movement in the Kingdom concerning women’s rights, including the issuance of the anti-harassment law, laws supporting women who provide for their families, and decisions that give them the freedom of movement, such as the right to drive.

This is in addition to many supportive and empowering decisions, noting that this was only possible with the great support from the Saudi leadership, and the important legislative role of the Shoura Council. — SPA