Amina Bouayach's CNDH presidency has given prominence to debates on individual freedoms and female empowerment
This week, the Office of the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights celebrated Amina Bouayach’s achievements for human rights and gender equality in Morocco.
The UN body recently chose Bouayach, the president of Morocco’s National Council for the Defense of Human Rights (CNDH), among four other influential female voices in their respective countries.
It described the group as being part of the world’s most tireless human rights advocates, fiercely campaigning for equality in a post-COVID world.
The list included Cleo Kambugu (Uganda), Mitzi Tan (the Philippines), Editar Ochieng (Kenya), and Maria de Luz Padua (Mexico).
Following the announcement by the UN, a CNDH statement quoted Bouayach as fully supporting “#IStandWithHer,” the UN’s campaign to commemorate the upcoming International Women’s Day and celebrate female leaders.
Only by embracing socially committed and inclusive expertise can the world’s thought leaders and decision-makers respond effectively to the challenges at hand, she commented, according to the CNDH statement.
“Through my various experiences, I have learned that responsibility is a combination of knowledge, which must be continuously updated, and daily experiences which must be constantly renewed according to each question, while being attached to the principle of consultation,” Bouayach stated.
She also stressed the importance of social inclusiveness in meeting the national and global challenges ahead as countries slowly recover from the pandemic.
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With the news coming just a few days ahead of International Women’s Day, celebrated every year on March 8, the CNDH president particularly highlighted the need to push for more gender equality and female empowerment in Morocco.
Bouayach spoke of the urgency to have an established quota for women in politics. Valuing and celebrating women’s essential contribution to national and global efforts against COVID-19 has the potential to make the post-COVID world a much better place, she said.
Achieving gender equality will be a long and bumpy ride both in Morocco and worldwide, Bouayach appeared to argue, according to the CNDH statement.
She suggested in the case of Morocco, that investing in equal access to education for women and girls, abolishing child marriage, and promoting the rights of disabled women and girls could go a long way in setting the tone for change.
