Achi news desk-
The United Nations has chosen Saudi Arabia to chair its Commission on the Status of Women.
The 45 CSW member states appointed Saudi ambassador Abdulasis Alwasil as chairman of the next session by acclamation on Wednesday in New York.
The mandate lasts for one year.
Human rights organization Amnesty International expressed its shock on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy where the royal family rules with an ultra-conservative interpretation of Islam.
It ranks 132 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2023 report on gender equality.
“This is a shock to us, although not surprising,” said Natalie Wenger, whose responsibilities at Amnesty Switzerland include Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia is running a big money image campaign to present itself as a modern country, he said, “but these are gestures without any substance”.
She said that women’s rights are constantly violated there.
In a recent report, Amnesty mentioned the case of a mother of two who stood up for women’s rights on social media platform X during her doctoral thesis and was subsequently sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Countries holding the chairmanship of UN commissions must set an example, Wenger said.
“That is why we consider this chairmanship tragic.”
At the commission meeting, the current chairman from the Philippines had presented the Saudi ambassador as the only candidate.
“May I take it that the commission wishes to elect by the credit of his excellency, Abdulaziz Alwasil of Saudi Arabia as Chairman of the commission in its 69th session?” he asked the representatives of the 45 member countries.
“I hear no objection. It has been decided that way.”
The decision received a brief applause.
