Statement by
H.E. Ms. Ensieh Khazali
Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran for Women and Family Affairs
Before the 66th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
On “General Discussion”
New York – 15 March 2022
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
Madam Chair, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to be part of a group brought together by the concern for the advancement of women, and it is hoped that this year's meeting will go beyond the results of previous meetings and accelerate the improvement of the situation of women around the world.
Despite the pressures and restrictions of unilateral coercive measures, especially in accessing some medicines and equipment, and relying on domestic capabilities, my country has succeeded especially by producing an effective domestic vaccine. To date, we have been able to vaccinate 63 million people with the first dose, 55.5 million with the second dose and 23.5 million with the third dose.
During this period, some 12,000 women headed -households have been trained and are being introduced to the traditional as well as the cyber markets. Also, more than one million and 100 thousand women headed- households are covered by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee and more than 300 thousand people are covered by the Welfare Organization. They have benefited from special social protection services including fund and insurance services.
Ten million Rials in the form of cash subsidies were allocated to 17 million households (more than 50 million people) with the aim of reducing economic constraints on families. Supported by the Vice-Presidency for Women and Family Affairs, the women headed - households were prioritized for receiving aid packages, and with the approval of the cabinet, the amount of loans granted to women headed-households were doubled.
It is necessary to highlight this point that the women of my country are practically fighting the effects of unilateral coercive measures. The heroic achievements of the Iranian women in various areas along with those of our men have proven that they can withstand various unjust and unilateral sanctions.
Ladies and Gentlemen
This conference is pursuing men and women gender equality but one should ask: “do women across the world enjoy equality among themselves before pursuing equality with men?”
If women are victimized as a result of pressures imposed by war, terror and natural disasters, would they be equally treated by the international communities and media, or, is it in reality their race, color, and geographical position, and in one word the political power, that defy their “equality” status?
During the recent years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has adopted a series of actions, policies, and a wide variety of programs at micro and macro levels to support women, all based on justice and gender integrity, with the aim of reducing hazards resulted from environmental disasters.
In order to enhance fair access of men and women to professional positions and to empower women to tackle climate change, in particular, the Islamic Republic of Iran has continued to promote women’s effective role in the society. To give an example, the president of the national environmental authority of the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a woman for 4 consecutive terms.
Moreover, training 17454 female rescue workers along with on line and in person first aid courses for more than 56thousand and 250 women volunteers across the country in 2021- 22 are few examples of the efforts undertaken for the empowerment of women to withstand all forms of disaster-related risks and to enhance their effective social participation in my country.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
The Islamic Republic of Iran appreciates the collective solidarity, and calls on the international community to stand up against the violation of the right to life, the right to health, the right to work and, in one word, the right to development of all women, who are suffering from conflicts and unilateral coercive sanctions, and to prevent all forms of violating human rights against the nations, in particular against women and children.
Thank you