Saudi Arabia
Shura Council
Specialized body - Gender equality
Committee for Social, Family, and Youth Affairs
About
Nature
Permanent
Members
| All Members | Below 45 years of age | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 11 | 5 |
| Men | 6 | 1 |
| Women | 5 | 4 |
Chairperson(s)
Chair 1
Mastoura
Alshammari
Chairperson: Sex
Female
Date of birth
1973
Chairperson
Chairperson: Sex
Female
Age: Chairperson is below 45 years of age
Yes
Committee functions
Mainstream gender equality into the work of (other) parliamentary committees and of Parliament as a whole
No
Scrutinise all Bills from a gender perspective
Yes
Obtain information from the Executive about the justification for actions or inaction which affect gender equality and women’s rights
Yes
Scrutinise State compliance with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)
Yes
Initiate inquiries of its own choosing
Yes
Scrutinise proposed treaties on gender equality, and other international treaties with implications for gender equality and women’s rights, and report to Parliament thereon, prior to ratification
No
Scrutinise the Executive’s response to human rights judgments - of national, regional and international courts – that have gender considerations
No
Monitor the adequacy of the existing national system for the promotion of gender equality
Yes
Review the allocation and expenditure of funds in the State budget to support measures to promote gender equality and protect women’s rights
No
Committee involvement in international and national reporting mechanisms
Such as the UN Human Rights Council and its' Universal Periodic Review, the UN CEDAW Committee etc.
Included in the official delegation which orally presented the most recent national report to the CEDAW Committee
No
Discussed the conclusions and recommendations which the CEDAW Committee adopted as a result
Yes
Involved in the preparation of national reports to other international or regional mechanisms (Resolution 1325 of the United Nations Security Council on Women, peace and security, the Beijing Platform for action…)
Yes
Committee powers
The Committee has the power to:
Propose amendments to legislation
Yes
Introduce bills into Parliament
Yes
Initiate parliamentary debates on its reports or on subjects of its choosing
Yes
Carry out inquiries
Yes
Hold oral evidence hearings
No
Compel witnesses to attend
No
Compel the production of documents and papers
No
Make recommendations to the Executive
Yes
Conduct visits, including visits abroad
Yes
Access places of detention without notice
Yes
Committee working methods
The Committee:
Adopts an annual or longer-term work plan
Yes
Publishes reports on its work on the parliamentary website
No
Usually reaches consensus on the issues on which it reports
Yes
Systematically follows up its reports and recommendations
Yes
Reports regularly to Parliament on its activities
Yes
Number of specialised staff to service committee
5
Cooperation and coordination
The Committee regularly cooperates and coordinates (e.g. through sharing of reports; meetings; joint follow-up action) with:
Other parliamentary committees
Sometimes
Civil society organisations
Often
National Human Rights Institution(s) and National Institution(s) for the promotion of gender equality
Often called “Commissions” and/or “Ombudspersons” in the area of human rights
Sometimes
Academic institutions, including human rights and gender equality research institutes
Sometimes