NATIONAL WOMEN'S COMMITTEE (YEMEN)

the official women's organization of yemen.

The National Women's Committee (NWC) is the official women's organization of the Yemen Republic, established in 1996 by a prime minister's act. Initially, the committee was established in 1993 to coordinate the official preparations for the Fourth World Conference of Women. In 2000 the committee was restructured to function under the Supreme Council for Women's Affairs headed by the prime minister. The NWC has consultative status with the Council of Ministers. The chairperson of the committee is nominated by presidential decree. NWC leaders have included such prominent women as Amat al-Alim al-Suswa, Rashida al-Hamdani, and Huriya Mashhur. The members of the committee include directors of women's departments in ministries and state institutions and coordinators in selected organizations and women's sections of political parties. The NWC has branches in all governorates with heads nominated by the governor of each province. The committee monitors state policies in regard to women's issues, carries out surveys (for example, The Status of Woman in Yemen, published in Sanʿa in 1996), and launches campaigns for women's rights. Its branches organize seminars and training courses devoted to local leaders and grass roots activists. Women's participation in elections and nomination in state offices have increased during the 1990s due to the joint activities of women's organizations. The NWC publishes the monthly newspaper al-Yamaniyya (Yemeni woman) and has a web page at <www.yemeni-women.org.ye>.

see also gender: gender and law; yemen.

Bibliography

Republic of Yemen Women National Committee. National Report on the Implementation Level of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. Sanaa, Yemen: Women's National Committee, 1999.

susanne dahlgren