JEDDAH: The Saudi Green Building Forum (SGBF) showed its support for gender equality at this year’s UN session of the Commission on the Status of Women. Held at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, the SGBF participated in the 64th session through its permanent mission, praising the steps taken by UN member states and leaders toward identifying specific means for tackling the gaps and challenges holding back women. With the participation of all representatives of UN member states, UN entities and NGOs of the Economic Social Council, the 64th session focused on topics that have a direct or indirect impact on women. These include eliminating discriminatory laws, breaking down structural barriers, discriminatory social norms and gender stereotypes — including in the media — matching commitments to gender equality with adequate financing, strengthening governmental and non-governmental institutions to promote gender equality, harnessing the potential of technology and innovation to improve the lives of women, regularly collecting, analyzing and using gender statistics and promoting international cooperation to implement commitments to gender equality.HIGHLIGHT The session called for the end of all forms of violence and harmful practices against women and girls, the protection of women and girls in armed conflict and ensuring women’s participation in peace processes and mediation. “Women, youth and citizens are cross-cutting issues on Sustainable Development Goals,” Faisal Al-Fadl, chairman representative to the UN and founder of SGBF, told Arab News. “Our role is being the honest voice of bridging the gap,” he said. The forum concluded with announcing the goals set for government entities to begin initiating programs to strengthen and raise awareness of women’s rights. Some of the goals included the realization of the right to education for all women and girls, with attention to areas where they are underrepresented such as STEM, ensuring women´s economic empowerment, access to decent work, equal pay, provision of social security and access to finance. Other goals focused on tackling the disproportionate share of unpaid care and domestic work done by women and girls, the disproportionate effect of climate change and natural disasters on women and girls, realizing the right to health for women and girls, with an emphasis on universal health coverage, and addressing hunger and malnutrition among women and girls. The CSW 64 called for the end of all forms of violence and harmful practices against women and girls, the protection of women and girls in armed conflict and ensuring women’s participation in peace processes and mediation.