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PERMANENT MISSION ISRAELTO UNITED THE OF NATIONS

Statementby:

Ms. Michal Modar

to Headof Israel'sDelegation the CSW

of Fiftieth Session the Commissionon the Statusof Women

ZMarch 2006

Economic and Social Council United Nations,New York

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- TELEPHONE'.212.499.5510 212.499.55'15 - FACSIMILE: AVENUE FL00R, YORK, 10017 NEW 800 SECOND 14TH NY

Madame Chairperson,Her Excellency Carmen Maria Gallardo, I would like to congratulateyou on your nomination as Chairpersonof this prestigious commission. As Chairpersonof the Council of Women's Organizations in Israel, it is a great pleasureand honor for me to speakhere today, on behalf of the Israeli delegation, on the two themes chosen. During the past few decades,the advancementof women in the fields of education,health, culture, and employment has been a top priority in Israel. Israel takes great pride in the high number of women justices in the SupremeCourt, where 5 out of I 1justices are women. In a few months from now, JusticeDorit Beinish will be appointed as the first woman Presidentof the SupremeCourt. In addition, the majority of prosecutors in the office of the Attorney General are women. Only recently, Israel appointed a female Foreign Minister, Ms. Tzipi Livni, the second woman foreign minister in Israel. She follows in the footstepsof Golda Meir, Israel's first Foreign Minister, who later becamethe Prime Minister of Israel. A balanced participation of men and women in the managementof public affairs is central to any democracy. Our researchreveals more than a 35 percent increaseof women members of boardsof directorsof businessenterprises.In addition, in the field of culture in Israel, it is often women who have taken upon themselvesto manageand direct successfulcentersof the arts, such as the Israeli Opera and various theaters. Women's organizationsin Israel are investing much effort in empowering women and advancingthem in various fields, especiallyin decision-makingbodies,such as the Israeli Parliament, the Knesset,where, despite lacking the number of women representatives we hope to attain, a number of laws have passedthat promote women's issues. Most recently, the Israeli Women's Equal Rights Law was amended,in the spirit of UN SecurityCouncil Resolution 1325, mandating that the Israeli government include women in any group appointedto peace-building negotiationsor internationalconflict resolution. Neverthelesslaws alone cannot ensuregender equality. Education is the main way to achievethis target. Women's organizationsin Israel have established schoolsfor advancingwomen in political roles, giving them self-confidence and empoweringthem, and thus enabling them to qualiff for positions within different parties. Israel has taken stepsto incorporate gender equality into various educational forums, such as day care centers in Israel, where Israeli children regardlessof ethnic background attend educational projects with a focus on learning about gender equality and attending multi-cultural enrichmentprograms. Madame Chairperson, In 1998,the Stateof Israel established specialbody in the Prime Minister's Office, 'The a Authority for the Advancement of the Statusof Women,' designatedspecifically for protecting and promoting women's rights. The Authority strives to narrow the gap between the pro-women's legislation and the implementationof this legislation,shapinggovernmentpolicy relatedspecifically to the

needsof women in every national program, coordinating between governmental bodies, distributing information, promoting awareness,and building a network of women leaders in the communitv. Madame Chairperson, Israel has additionally promoted women's advancementon an international level, through its Center for Intemational Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MASHAV. Since 1961, MASHAV has made a notable contribution to the welfare of women in the developing world. In the last 5 years alone, MASHAV trained 4,000 women from I47 countries in different fields related to improving gender equality in socio-economic poverty alleviation,education,environment, development. Training activities address migration, the girl-child, health, economic participation, conflict resolution, and other areasrelevantto women's issues. capacitybuilding and MASHAV's main goal in the field of genderissuesis to strengthen leadershipof women's organizationsand networks,placing the focus on women's empowernent as a critical factor in achievingthe Millennium DevelopmentGoals. Madame Chairperson, Israel's Declaration of Independencesafeguardsequality as a basis of our democracy.It statesthat equality forbids discrimination basedon gender. Our SupremeCourt interpreted it to include inter alia women arbitrators in religious councils and an affirmative action program to secureproper representationof women in government positions. The Knessetaffirmed this developmentby ratifying specific laws to forbid discrimination of women. We believe Israel has experiencedgreatprogresson the issue however,this issuerequirescontinuousattentionand effort. of women's advancement; For instance,too many obstaclesprevent women from attaining top positions in academia. No maffer how talented a woman may be, there still exists challengesfor women to attain professorships.We would also like to increase number of women in the municipal and the national levels of government. in and We are proud of our many accomplishments the areaof women's advancement, remain committed to overcoming the challengesthat still exist in the effort to provide equal roles and opportunities for women and men in society. Thank you Madame Chairperson.

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