Ihsanoglu speaks to the Role of Women’s Conference in Istanbul Arab Spring has been achieved because women stood side by side with men

Date: 23/12/2011

The Secretary General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu remarked the positive role played by Muslim women in bringing about the changes in the Arab uprising. “What has been achieved in those countries was possible because women stood side by side with their male partners” he said. In his statement at the International Conference “Change in Muslim Societies and the Role of Women” in Istanbul, Friday 23 December 2011, Ihsanoglu stressed that only through women’s increased participation in political, social and other spheres that the society will find its way towards meaningful progress and development. The Secretary General highlighted the major efforts undertaken by OIC to enhance the role of Muslim women in member states of the Organisation. He brought to mind his initiative to convene the first ever Ministerial Conference on Women’s Role in the Development of OIC member states in Istanbul in November 2006. In the same vein, Ihsanoglu stated that the establishment of the Department of Family Affairs in the OIC General Secretariat within the framework of implementation of the OIC Ten Year Program of Action was another step forward in the OIC’s commitment to advancement of women in Muslim societies.   He also referred to the establishment of an OIC Independent Permanent Commission on Human Rights (IPCHR) as a very significant development in the Organisation which constitutes a welcome sign for mainstream human rights, including rights of women. He explained the fact that four of the total 18 Member Commission is women, bears testimony to the OIC’s commitment to gender equality. “I firmly believe that the four women members of the IPCHR will play a commendable role in strengthening the rights of women in Muslim society” Ihsanoglu added. However, the Secretary General emphasized that we cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that such opportunities are still limited only to the privileged few. He stressed that a vast majority of Muslim women remain deprived of their basic rights and access to social opportunities vis a vis their male partners.

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