NAZIHA BOSAIDI

Tunisia- Amel Moussa Belhaj, the Minister of Women, Family, Children, and Seniors (MFFES), and Radhia Jerbi, the president of the National Union of the Tunisian Woman (NUTW) had a meeting with Hafsah Hashim, chairwoman of the Women Leadership Foundation in Malaysia, on April 19. During the meeting, women discussed how to support women in business and women’s participation in decision-making positions.

During her visit to Tunisia, Hafsah Hashim first held a meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Bouden. Both women said that the meeting was an opportunity to shed light on the experiences of the two countries in supporting women’s participation in decision-making positions. According to the latest statistics, the proportion of women in Tunisian parliament is 32 percent, in municipal councils is 48.49 percent, in the judicial leadership positions is 86.5 percent, in administrative positions is 37 percent, and in the diplomatic field is 10 percent.  

During the meeting, Hafsah Hashim said that their foundation has carried out activities to reduce the gender gap in leadership roles. She also reported that the percentage of women who graduated from Malaysian universities reaches 61 percent, while the percentage of women leaders is 37 percent.

Speaking about the importance of the role of the NUTW in women’s economic, political and social empowerment, Radhia Jerbi pointed out they emphasized the importance of the union's representation and presence at the international level during the meeting. She stated that Hafsah Hashim expressed her admiration for the Tunisian experience in supporting women's rights and equality, and praised the important role played by the first women's organization in Tunisia in many fields such as economic, social, and political fields. She concluded her speech by saying that the two organizations will carry out joint activities to support women, particularly their participation in decision-making positions.