New York, June 18, 2019, SPA -- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) confirmed that 2018 has witnessed many decisions that contributed to the supporting and empowerment of Saudi women, paving their way for entry into many new areas, Saudi Permanent Representative to the UN Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Muallimi said, adding that the Year 2018 marks the year of transformation and excellence, for the Saudi women. This came in the Kingdom's speech, at the session of the Executive Council of the United Nations Women's Authority, which he delivered, in New York. He also thanked the United Nations Commission on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women for its outstanding performance and achievement of most of the goals set for the first year of the implementation of the Strategic Plan for the period 2018-2021. The Kingdom appreciated the contribution of the United Nations Women's Fund to the promotion of women's rights in leadership, government and economic empowerment by encouraging laws that promote women's rights, as well as supporting the development of government entities, partnerships, international organizations and policies to enable women to have better access to services, finance and utilization of productive resources, Al-Muallimi concluded. -- SPA 20:33 LOCAL TIME 17:33 GMT 0022 www.spa.gov.sa/w1121587