At the United Nations, the situation is becoming increasingly tense

The Saudi Kingdom has been chosen to chair the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women in 2025. This decision has sparked controversy given the living conditions of Saudi women, despite recent reforms.

Saudi Arabia was elected on Wednesday, March 27, to preside over the 69th Commission on the Status of Women at the United Nations, which aims to work for women's rights and gender equality globally. With no rival candidates or objections from the 45 members of the Commission, Saudi Ambassador Abdulaziz Alwasil was elected by acclamation during the Commission's annual meeting in New York.

Just one year into its presidency, the Philippines was expected to remain at the helm for another year, as the typical term length is two years. 

However, it appears the country was pressured by other Asian nations, according to The Guardian, to relinquish their position a year early.

The British newspaper reported that Bangladesh was supposed to succeed them, but Saudi Arabia positioned itself through what many saw as an attempt to improve its image.

This nomination occurred without opposition from other Commission members. When the outgoing president, the Philippine envoy to the United Nations Antonio Manuel Lagdameo, asked the 45 members if there were any objections, silence filled the chamber.

"I hear no objection," he declared, "so it is decided." However, several external voices have risen to criticize this decision. On the eve of the expected announcement, Sherine Tadros, Deputy Head of Advocacy at Amnesty International, reminded us of the United Nations Charter's clear statement of one of the UN's main objectives being the respect for human rights. 

"Being a member of its bodies charged with defending human rights implies an additional responsibility to reinforce this respect, globally and nationally," she explained, "especially when assuming leadership roles within these bodies." 

Yet, she did not hesitate to describe Saudi Arabia's record on "protecting and promoting women's rights" as "catastrophic," asserting that this record "highlights the gap between the reality experienced by women and girls in the country, and the aspirations of the Commission."

On X (formerly Twitter), Louis Charbonneau, UN Director of Advocacy at Human Rights Watch (HRW), expressed similar outrage on behalf of the organization, condemning a "shocking disregard for women's rights around the world." 

"A country that imprisons women simply for defending their rights," he stated, "has no place in the United Nations' foremost forum for women's rights and gender equality." He urges Saudi authorities to "prove that this honor was not entirely undeserved" and to "immediately release all detained women's rights defenders, end male guardianship, and ensure women's full right to equality with men."

While women's status in the kingdom has significantly improved in recent years, allowing them to drive, not wear veils in public, or hold a passport for travel, it remains one of the most repressive in the world. Without directly addressing the criticisms against it, Saudi Arabia pointed to its 2022 "personal status" law as evidence of progress in Saudi women's rights.

The law, for instance, states that the dowry belongs to the woman without her being obligated to share it with anyone. It also declares that a male guardian no longer has the ability to forbid a woman from marrying one of her peers. 

However, it also maintains that a woman needs a male guardian's permission to marry, must obey her husband "reasonably," and her husband's financial support depends on the woman's "obedience." This financial support can also be withdrawn if she refuses to have sex with her husband, live in the marital home, or travel with him without a "legitimate excuse."

Given such a record, Saudi Arabia's appointment to lead a forum on women's rights has not been unanimously accepted. Yet, the country is not the first to spark controversy in this commission. Three years earlier, the selection of Iran for its presidency in 2021 had already caused uproar.