Israel to join UN entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

UNWomen

January 16, 2011

Today, the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the country’s accession to UN WOMEN and will allocate NIS 3 million in membership dues.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that this step is of utmost importance and declared that “since its establishment, the State of Israel has been known as a pioneer in the field of advancing women’s status and has a proven record in the area of gender equality. Israel’s influence in a prominent international body in the field is necessary because the issue of women’s status is a main policy issue for us and because Israel’s contribution to such a body from its inception could be considerable for the countries of the world.”

Deputy Minister Gila Gamliel, the one that was in charge of advancing this initiative, said that “it is important that Israel join UN WOMEN’s Executive Board as soon as possible. Such membership will allow us to block attempts to delegitimize Israel and enable us to stress our country’s positive aspects in the international arena. One of the State of Israel’s main interests in the UN is to advance a positive agenda regarding the country’s activities. Israel is among the world’s leaders in advancing the status of women; therefore, it would be proper to stress this fact in order to improve its international standing. I am pleased that Prime Minister Netanyahu and the various ministries recognize the importance of the issue and have joined the effort to raise the necessary funds.”

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