The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has affirmed its commitment to protecting and enhancing human rights
Saudi Arabia’s President of the Human Rights Commission, Hala Al-Tuwaijri, recently affirmed the Kingdom’s commitment to improving and protecting human rights, respecting cultural diversity, and promoting equality. Speaking at high-level meetings of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Al-Tuwaijri highlighted the Kingdom’s unprecedented reforms as part of its development Vision 2030, including significant improvements in the field of women’s empowerment.
Dr. Hala made the remarks while addressing the 52nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. She is attending the current session, heading the Saudi delegation. The HRC chief highlighted the remarkable achievement made by Saudi Arabia in the empowerment of women. She said that the Kingdom has made great progress in recent years in the field of women’s empowerment, which was a strategic goal of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. It was adopted to increase their participation in the labor market, and a Gender Balance Center was established in 2021 in this regard. “As a result of these efforts, the share of women in the labor market increased from 21.2 percent to 34.7 percent and the rate of their economic participation jumped from 17 percent to 37 percent during the period between 2017 and 2022. The percentage of women’s representation in the higher and middle administrative positions increased from 28.6 percent to 39 percent during the 2017-2021 period,” she said.
Al-Tuwaijri noted that the Kingdom has made significant strides in reducing unemployment rates, dropping from 11.6% to 5.8% between 2016 and 2022, and promoting equal opportunity and equal treatment in the labor market. Additionally, the Kingdom has increased women’s participation in the labor force from 17% to 37% between 2017 and 2022 and their rate of economic participation from 28.6% to 39% between 2017 and 2021.
The Kingdom has also made efforts to develop its legislative system by issuing and amending numerous laws, including the law of evidence and the personal status system, and working on two initiatives concerning civil transactions law and the penal code for discretionary sanctions. Al-Tuwaijri expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation and denunciation of the burning and destruction of copies of the Holy Qur’an by a number of extremists in several EU states, highlighting the need to abide by international human rights standards, which forbid the promotion of national, racial, or religious hatred.
Moreover, Al-Tuwaijri emphasized the Kingdom’s humanitarian efforts to help earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria, with total aid exceeding $160 million. The Kingdom is also sparing no effort in supporting humanitarian issues, including mediating in the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s mediation in the release of a number of prisoners.
Al-Tuwaijri affirmed that the promotion and protection of human rights require continuous and relentless efforts, and the realization of transformations on the ground. She urged the Human Rights Council to carry out its duties toward improving the global human rights situation in an atmosphere of constructive dialogue, transparency, objectivity, and the promotion of a culture of tolerance.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is committed to enhancing and protecting human rights, respecting cultural diversity, and promoting equality. The Kingdom’s unprecedented reforms, including significant improvements in women’s empowerment and the reduction of unemployment rates, demonstrate the country’s dedication to achieving these goals. As Al-Tuwaijri highlighted, the promotion and protection of human rights require continuous and relentless efforts, and the realization of transformations on the ground, which the Kingdom is committed to achieving.
