On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia was appointed to chair the UN forum on women’s rights and gender equality. The choice is considered controversial, given the country’s reputation for discrimination against women.
Saudi Women’s rights activists are often imprisoned while women have only been allowed to drive and live alone, without a male guardian’s permission, since 2018 and 2021, respectively.
Saudi Arabia was the sole candidate to chair the Commission on Women’s Rights, thus receiving unanimous endorsement.
Under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country has taken some incremental steps towards equality. Human rights groups, however, argue that these changes and reforms have not dismantled the patriarchy in the slightest.
Humanitarian organizations are strongly reacting to the election, with Human Rights Watch expressing concerns about a “shocking disregard for women’s rights worldwide.”
Amnesty International criticized Saudi Arabia’s “abysmal record” on women’s rights and emphasized the “huge gap between the reality experienced by women and girls in Saudi Arabia and the Commission’s expectations.”
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