The UAE General Women's Union and the UN Women Gulf Liaison Office in New York, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, to strengthen cooperation and technical assistance between the two sides. The MoU was signed on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, currently being held in New York.

The signing ceremony was attended by Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Director of the GWU, on behalf of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, GWU, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Lakshmi Puri, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women.

In her remarks on behalf of Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Al Suwaidi said the union always seeks to develop its cooperation partnerships with international organisations in all areas of women advancement, including advice on enhancing the status of women in the region, in order to ensure gender mainstreaming as part of the implementation of the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030.

The MoU, which entered into force on the date of its signing on September 22nd, identifies a number of areas of cooperation between the two parties, including bilateral cooperation in the areas of economic empowerment of women, increasing the role of women in the decision-making process at all levels, enhancing the expertise of UAE employees working in the field of women empowerment through their involvement and work with the UN Women's Office in New York, and the UN Associate Expert Programme.

The agreement will also see shared seminars, conferences, courses and workshops in the field, and mutual participation in relevant activities.

The MoU will seek to promote efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls, women's leadership, and women's participation in peace, security and humanitarian action, as well as in areas related to good governance and national action issues. It will also seek to implement international commitments relating to the gender equality in the UAE and the involvement of men in the field.

The signing ceremony was attended by Reem Al Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Dr. Moza Al Shehhi, Director of the United Nations Liaison Office for Women in Abu Dhabi.