DEAUVILLE — The lack of women’s economic and political participation, and lack of women's education, kept Arab countries from developing properly, said US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer on the sidelines of the Women’s Forum in Deauville, France. Then came the Arab Spring and “women were shoulder-to-shoulder with men in the revolutions.”
“Women were able to bring their talents and their experiences to decision-making in their countries,” said Verveer, who has held her position since April 2009. Ensuring that they continue to do so is of utmost importance and “will say a lot about the future of those countries both economically as well as in terms of democratic governance and the better future for the people,” she said, adding that both the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and women from that region are “a great focus” for her Office of Global Women’s issues.
