is a distinguished practitioner in the field of women's rights in the Arab world. Based in Jordan, Abu Ghazaleh is regional programme director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) Arab States Office. She spoke to Beyond about the regional aspect of women's empowerment. Here are excerpts from the interview ON POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONALS STRUCTURES: "In recent years, a great deal of effort has been invested in women's issues by governments and NGOs at both national and regional levels in the Arab region. National structures and strategies targeting the advancement of women were developed; numerous programmes for women and girls' capacity-building have been implemented; awareness programmes of all types have been conducted and plans for mainstreaming gender perspectives into planning and policy formulation were drawn up. All these efforts have contributed to improving the status and participation of women at different levels. However, and despite the important qualitative and quantitative improvements with respect to women's rights and building women's capabilities in the region, gaps still exist between strategies, resources, and efforts invested in enhancing the role of Arab women in public life." ON WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION: "The participation of Arab women in political life has taken many positive steps forward, however, the number of women involved in this process is still far from being representative of their number in society. Another positive trend in the region has been the growth of NGOs involved in development issues and in promoting women's empowerment and participation in public life in the Arab world (up 30 per cent from 1995 to 2003), which is an opportunity that UNIFEM (the United Nations Development Fund for Women) is harnessing. This increase and visibility have had some very positive effects on changing societal perceptions on the ability of women to actively participate in politics and be engaged in decision-making." "While the participation of Arab women in political life is developing, the number of women involved in this process is still far from being representative of their number in society. Arab women occupy 6.4 per cent of seats in parliament compared to 15.1 per cent in Asia and 12.3 per cent in the Pacific region. UNIFEM's proposed "elections project" in Iraq and the Arab Women Parliamentarian Project in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, the UAE, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait addresses this challenge through capacity-building of both female voters and candidates, and raising awareness in the general public." ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: "Violence against women is pervasive across societies in the region. As a consequence of cultural beliefs and practices, traditional norms and religious convictions, violence against women in the Arab region manifests itself in a variety of ways, in particular through honour killings, domestic violence, and sexual violence, including harassment. Throughout the region there has been no intensive and accurate studies made of the phenomenon of violence against women, which makes it hard to measure the intensity of the problem and its spread in Arab countries. In an effort to better understand the extent of the problem, UNIFEM is currently partnering with the departments of statistics in Egypt, Syria and Jordan to collect data on the issue. From the preliminary data available, physical violence is the most widespread pattern of violence in Jordan, while in Egypt, 35 per cent of married women have been beaten by their husbands at least once during their marriage. In Syria, 19.7 per cent of families face some kind of violence: verbal abuse comprises 38.4 per cent of all forms of violence, beatings 36.9 per cent, and sexual harassment 10.6 per cent. "Over the next few years, UNIFEM's Arab States Regional Office will be tackling the issue of violence against women through the launching of its "Trust Fund for the Empowerment of Women in the Arab Region"." ON GENDER EQUALITY: "In the area of gender equality and women's human rights, 16 Arab states out of 22 members of the Arab League have ratified CEDAW. The persistence of state reservations in all but two states in the region, however, undermines implementation in these states. Many of state reservations concern articles that are central to the object and purpose of the convention. And only one Arab state -- Libya -- has ratified the Optional Protocol to CEDAW." "Reflecting Arab state reservations to CEDAW, the legislative frameworks of most Arab states severely limit women's enjoyment of rights, particularly in relation to marriage, inheritance, divorce and nationality, which are stipulated in and regulated by personal status laws and other regulations. These laws contravene the fundamental principles of equality and non- discrimination enshrined in the constitutions of most Arab states. Advances, however, in this regard have taken place in the region. In Morocco, an attempt to revise nationality law allowing Moroccan women to transmit their nationality to their children followed the reform of family law in February 2004 which gives men and women equal responsibilities and duties in the family. This provided opportunity for UNIFEM to work with government and civil society towards implementation and is a precedent for gender sensitive legislation in other Arab states. In addition, and in preparation for the 2007 general elections, party and electoral codes are being revised as well, enabling UNIFEM to partner with various stakeholders to promote women's political participation." "Gender-responsive budget analysis looks beyond the balance sheets to probe whether men and women fare differently under existing revenue and expenditure patterns. This process does not involve creating separate budgets for women, or aim solely to boost spending on women's programmes. Instead, it helps governments understand how they adjust their priorities and reallocate resources to live up to their commitments to achieving gender equality and advancing women's rights." With the support of UNIFEM, among other national and international initiatives, Arab women have achieved significant progress towards bridging gender discrepancies between men and women, albeit slowly. Women's access to education, health, economic opportunities and decision-making positions has steadily increased. One also cannot deny the considerable progress made by NGOs who have thrived noticeably in recent years. Lots of work, however, remains to be done on all levels for women to achieve their dreams and aspirations. It is the task of the younger generation to tend to the seeds we have planted and continue to drive the progress of women towards the ultimate goals of equality and peace in the Arab world forward."
