Mr. President of the Special Session

I come from the Arab region, proud of its heritage and culture, rooted in its traditions which reflect the three great monotheistic religions. It is in this spirit that I have chosen to convey to you the message of my country, Jordan.

On behalf of the Jordanian delegation, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan for his continued support and commitment to the realization of a global gender agenda, and also to the Director and staff of the Division for the Advancement of Women, for their diligent work in setting the stage for this Special Session.

The dialogue and debate that has taken place during the last few days, is a vibrant reflection of the diversity of hopes and concerns regarding the progress of women from all regional perspectives. On the final day of this Special Session, I hope that the outcome will capture the richness of this diversity and strengthen the goal of gender equality, development and peace.

Similar to many developing countries, economic and political considerations have been major factors in effecting change in Jordan. This has been coupled with the process of liberalization and consensus building, which has resulted in greater empowerment and involvement of everyday citizens in Jordan's civic life, contributing to increased stability and institutionalization.

To fully reflect the constitutional equality granted to all Jordanians and to ensure the institutionalization of efforts to improve women's status, the Jordanian National Commission for Women has been mandated by the government to define general policies related to women, to propose laws as well as amendments to legislation which will remove discrimination against women and to follow up on the implementation of these measures.

The process itself has been strengthened through a high level of political will. His Majesty the late King Hussein called for an end to the violations of women's fundamental rights, and his successor, King Abdullah II, is determined to fulfill this goal.

A tangible improvement has also taken place in women's participation in political and public life. Appointments to higher posts in the executive, the judiciary and the senate all reflect the political will, as well as women's ability to reach higher decision-making positions. A realization of the importance of engaging parliamentarians in working towards women's empowerment is also growing.

The process of updating Jordan's National Strategy for Women has been recently launched. The Strategy takes into consideration new developments, such as Jordan's ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Platform for Action of the Fourth World Conference on Women, as well as the outcomes of this Special Session.

While there are those who believe that we have only made a small impact in promoting the changes that we aimed for in Beijing, we should also remember that five years is not a long time-frame in which to achieve fundamental changes. While legal reform and adoption of new policies are pre-requisites for gender equality, our experience has shown us that it is equally essential to ensure that societal understanding and acceptance of change must be addressed concurrently.

As a developing country, Jordan is all the more aware of the impact that the intensifying invasion of a global culture is having on people at the local level. While women's advancement is a globally accepted goal, it should also be recognized that prevailing conditions at the local level, whether social, political or economic, have a direct bearing on the pace at which this process evolves. Indeed, within this context, the diversity of our cultures, religions and interests, are factors which must be given due consideration in international meetings such as this one. For in essence, it is through this kind of responsiveness that we will secure the gains that we have achieved since Beijing and ensure that the process which has been set in, motion will continue to gather momentum. Rather than diminishing our indigenous values and traditions, we in Jordan as in many developing countries, would like to see a global vision which can foster harmony instead of discord, and create an enabling climate for our national initiatives to flourish.

May the outcome of our deliberations, strengthen our resolve to ensure that all women can play an equal role in shaping the future of our world.

Thank you.