Women have boosted Shoura’s efficiency, says European MP

The leader of the European parliamentary delegation on a visit to the Kingdom said that the participation of women in the Shoura council had boosted its efficiency.
Afzal Khan, leader of the team, who met Shoura Council Vice President Amin Jaafri, said that there were clear indications that the efficiency of the Shoura Council had improved following the admission of women to the body.
Khan and Henna Virkkunen, members of the European Parliament, were part of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Arab Peninsula (DARP) which paid a visit to the Kingdom from Feb. 14-16.
The visit was made within the framework of the 12th interparliamentary meeting between the European Parliament and the Shoura Council.
“I am very pleased about the appointment of the first 30 women to the Shoura Council in 2013. Princess Nora University is also doing a fine job in promoting the role of women through education,” said Virkkunen. “I also commend Saudi Arabia for the reforms undertaken to facilitate the integration of women into the labor market and I encourage further steps.
According to Virkkunen, another important step will be the holding of municipal elections in which women will vote and stand as candidates. “I hope they will take place this year as announced. Moreover, I welcome the fact that Saudi Arabia considers education and research a national priority and that it invests a considerable amount of its yearly budget in the development of its human resources,” said Virkkunen.
During its stay in the capital, the delegation held meetings with Prince Turki Al-Kabeer, undersecretary for multilateral affairs; Abdul Latif Al-Zayani, secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and Mufleh Al-Qahtani, chairman of the National Society for Human Rights (NSHR).
“We came here to deliver three key messages,” said Khan. “First, we wish to strengthen dialogue and bilateral cooperation on topics of mutual interest. Second, Saudi Arabia and the GCC are crucial partners in the prevention and fight against terrorism and extremism and we need to step up our cooperation in this field. Third, we wish to widen our dialogue on human rights and to contribute to a better understanding between the European Union and Saudi Arabia.”
The delegation also addressed the problem of rising Islamophobia in Europe and the need to increase political, economic and cultural cooperation.
According to Khan, there is a common understanding with “our Saudi counterparts that we need a multidimensional approach to fighting terrorism and extremism. We need to stop our nationals from traveling to war zones and to put an emphasis on deradicalization structures and processes for returning foreign fighters.”
He also pointed out that Saudi Arabia and its neighboring states had a central role in giving an alternative vision to that publicized by terrorist groups. “At the same time, it is important to ensure that anti-terrorism measures are proportionate and that they are in line with minimum standards for the protection of human rights.”