Muscat Declaration on Progress in Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in the Arab Region after Thirty Years

We, participants, Arab states representatives concerned with women's affairs, gathered at the High-Level Meeting on Progress in Implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) after thirty years (1995), held in Muscat on December 9, 2024:

1. Reaffirm the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action as pivotal choices and strategic pathways for the advancement of women and girls' rights and empowerment, as well as their connection to a set of international commitments, such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS Agenda):
2. Recommit ourselves to implementing all critical areas of interest outlined in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in full consistency with SDG 5 and its objectives.
3. Commend the remarkable progress Arab states have made in many areas of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, despite the complex challenges the region still faces. However, we acknowledge that this progress does not necessarily imply that all issues have been addressed, as significant challenges remain. It includes protracted conflicts, violence against women, their political participation, and the gender gap in economic participation, which would necessitate concerted efforts at the national and regional levels to address.
4. Reaffirm that the continued occupation of Arab territories, the war on Gaza, and the crises and wars in some countries across the region don’t only impact the states directly affected by its consequences but also extend beyond to neighboring countries and the region. Women are forcibly displaced and denied access to basic services such as healthcare, education, and security.
5. Welcome the national reviews conducted by Arab countries, as well as the regional review, which provided a comprehensive vision for the region while considering uneven progress across countries, with some made remarkable progress, particularly in reforming policies and legislation that discriminate against women and girls, while others continued to face challenges as a result of the ongoing Israeli occupation, armed conflicts, and wars.
6. Commend recent advancements in the Arab States for women's and girls' rights, including:

1. Seeking improved social protection by reviewing legislation to ensure inclusion of women in social insurances and equal rights to pensions.
2. Taking steps to alleviate the burden of unpaid care work by enhancing taking care of children and the elderly and supporting maternity and parental leaves to achieve a better balance between work and family.
3. Adopting legislation to protect women and girls from all forms of violence and decline in the prevalence of child marriage.
4. Improving education indicators for women and girls and bridging the gender digital gap.
5. Improving women's and girls' health through legislation and national policies to enhance health systems, that prioritize reproductive health and rights.
6. Increased political empowerment of women, including ministerial, parliamentary, and corporate sector positions, through legislation, systems, and resolutions to ensure that women are fairly represented.
7. Encourage women's economic empowerment by combatting discrimination and harassment, offering equal job opportunities, providing equal pay, and introducing project financing programs, which increase economic empowerment and national participation.

7. Express our concern that despite progress made in amending certain laws and promoting women's rights, many women in the region still face discrimination in education, the labor market, the gender pay gap, and political participation due to cultural and societal biases. This hinders their career advancement and access to higher positions. Some women are facing significant challenges in access to higher education and effectively participating in public political, and economic life. 
8. Reaffirm our commitment, in light of accomplishments and existing challenges, to working together to achieve gender equality and empower women and girls in the Arab region and continue to work on implementing clear and effective strategies to ensure a more just and equitable future for all women and girls in the Arab region.
9. Commit ourselves to the following priorities and actions over the upcoming five years:

Promoting the role of Arab women in leading positions and enhancing women's effective participation in the decision-making process, paving the way for comprehensive and sustainable political empowerment

(a) Promote greater women's representation in national legislatures, encourage their participation in decision-making processes at both the domestic and international levels, and take steps to direct the resources needed to support structural changes and ensure comprehensive equality in all areas.

(b) Continue to develop policies that encourage women to assume leadership positions in all areas, as well as implement measures to ensure their effective participation in political decision-making, such as increasing women's representation in parliaments or the lower house of parliament, including them in senior government posts, and following up on the implementation of these measures to ensure tangible results in increasing women's representation in political life.

Improving Arab women's roles in economic development as a catalyst for inclusive change and sustainable growth

(c) Continue to work on updating and enacting laws that ensure women's equal access to employment and equal pay in various sectors, including modern technologies and industrial sectors. These policies include enhancing women's innovation and creativity in various fields, notably in STEM careers that are in high demand in the labor market; promoting safe and secure workplaces for women; and providing chances for education and vocational training, which qualifies them for future leadership positions.

(d) Strengthen women's ability to access and control economic resources, including providing relevant data to decision-makers, adopting necessary policies and legislation, and finding special solutions for Palestinian women living under occupation that prevents them from accessing and controlling these resources.

(e) Intensify efforts to promote sharing of care work between men and women, including paternity leave, and investments in care-related services and infrastructure to alleviate the burden of care work carried out by women and girls, and focus on improving the conditions of women who give care for those with disabilities or the elderly, by adopting supportive policies that help them overcome challenges that impair their health and limit their involvement in professional, social, and economic life, while offering them a direct support, especially for women who lose their careers to care for their children.

(f) Continue to strengthen educational and training programs focused on empowering women and girls in advanced industries such as STEM fields, with a focus on reducing the gender gap in education, increasing university scholarships for girls in STEM fields, and building projects targeted at providing them with the skills necessary to get into the labor market in a strong and successful manner.

Reaffirming the commitment to prevent violence against women in the Arab region and strengthen efforts to access comprehensive responses to address all forms of violence against women.

(g) Follow up on the execution of comprehensive strategies to combat violence against women and girls, including increasing assistance for centers that provide protection and support to victims of violence. Also, establish training programs for judicial staff, law enforcement officers, and government officials to address incidents of violence against women and girls, and foster partnerships with civil society organizations (CSOs) to combat all forms of violence against women and girls and provide necessary support to the victims from social services, justice, health, and protection sectors.

(h) Advocate for girls' and women's rights in conflict zones. This includes providing psychosocial support to refugee and displaced women and girls, expanding their educational and professional opportunities, providing access to healthcare, education, and employment in these areas, and ensuring women's participation in post-conflict reconstruction processes through logistical support.

Strengthening the enabling environment for gender equality and improving women's access to justice and empowerment

(i) Enhancing complementarity between this Declaration and the 2030 SDGs, especially SDG 5 on attaining gender equality and empowering all women and girls, and the Pact for the Future adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2024, and the Arab Women's Development Agenda (2023-2028), issued by the League of Arab States in March 2023. This includes commitments in the framework of national strategy for sustainable development, which seeks to ensure equal rights and opportunities, including strengthening legislation on economic and social rights for all women and girls in all Arab states and taking into account the different needs of women in development and rights approaches and responding to the different needs of women and girls with disabilities.

(j) Strengthen the role and position of national machineries for women's empowerment, including increasing their funding, so that they can influence governmental policies about gender equality, particularly women's participation in decision-making positions.

(k) Developing mechanisms for collaboration between national women's organizations and national partners, particularly parliaments, human rights institutions, CSOs, youth organizations, organizations for people with disabilities, and the elderly, to leverage relevant expertise, such as implementing joint initiatives to promote women's and girls' rights and following up on international recommendations that contribute to women's empowerment.

(l) Developing mechanisms to collaborate with statistical agencies and research centers to regularly and thoroughly provide transparent and clear data to learn about the realities of women and girls, including administrative data; creating time-use surveys to track women's care work so that it can be identified and assessed in the national income; and guaranteeing everyone's right to access data and information.

In conclusion, we thank the Sultanate of Oman for hosting this high-level meeting on progress in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action after thirty years in the Arab region.

We Commend the League of Arab States, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) for their contributions to regional preparations to review progress in the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action thirty years after its adoption (Beijing +30) to identify trends and priorities in the region over the next five years towards achieving gender equality.

We pledge to continue our efforts to achieve gender equality, promote women's and girls' rights, and empower them, which require the cooperation of all parties, from governments to civil society, to achieve tangible and sustainable results and to strengthen Arab women's roles in building sustainable and inclusive societies.