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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

More Omani women should take part in polls: IPU

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MUSCAT, Jan 26 - More women should take part in the political process and be part of the decision-making process, said Gabriela Cuevas Barron, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), adding women’s participation in local elections and Shura Council should increase.
Lauding women’s participation in diverse areas in Oman, she said more such participation is needed in Oman’s Parliament which will have both short and long-term benefits to the nation.
“By engaging more women in the national decision-making process and soliciting their opinions in health, education and other allied sectors, the country can benefit as they are the representatives of smaller states called families,” said Gabriela, who was hosted by Majlis Oman.
“I urge more Omani women to come forward, participate in elections and be a part of the mandate. Almost half the population around the world are women and we need women to take responsibilities not only in families but also in the state governance as we take decisions on education, budgets, health and it will ultimately reflect in families.”
She also lauded the country’s women’s empowerment initiatives, gender parity across all sectors and equal opportunities in health, education and other sectors.
She said IPU was a reflection of what’s happening in other countries. “If we take women’s participation in parliaments between 2016 and 2017, the percentage of increase has been a minimal 0.1 per cent. It means we needed 250 years to reach parity in parliaments around the world.”
“We need to go faster. Women across the world should come forward to be change agents of national policies and decision-making process. We are working on capacity-building for women and young parliamentarians. We can work with countries to change their legislations to attract more women in accordance with the changes in the present world,” she said.
Appreciating Oman’s foreign policy, she said the country has always sought a dialogue to build bridges between countries and adopted a neutral position while trying to find solutions to issues.
She said Omani and Mexican parliaments have both similarities as well as differences. Both have a House that is elected and another that is nominated. The value that both give families is high.
“Both countries can work together in terms of foreign affairs as we share important ideas and don’t interfere in other countries’ affairs,” she said.
During her visit, Gabriela had met His Highness Sayyid Fahd bin Mahmood al Said, Deputy Prime Minister for the Council of Ministers; Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdallah, Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs; and Shaikh Khalid bin Hilal al Maawali, Majlis Ash’shura Chairman. She went around the Oman Council and met Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, Chairman of the State Council.



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