Belgrade, June 04 (QNA) - The Shura Council participated in the Global Conference of Women Parliamentarians in Belgrade, which aimed to provide a platform for women parliamentarians to exchange experiences and identify innovative, shared strategies to advance women's rights and empowerment.

The conference discussed several key themes, including breaking down barriers to equality, promoting diversity, addressing stereotypes and harmful social norms, and working collectively to combat stereotypes, violence, and misinformation in the digital environment.

The Shura Council was represented at the conference, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the National Assembly of Serbia, by HE Deputy Speaker of the Shura Council Dr. Hamda Al Sulaiti, alongside parliamentarians from around the world.

During a session titled "Challenging online stereotypes, violence and disinformation against women in politics," HE Dr. Al Sulaiti highlighted Qatar's efforts to strengthen digital safety and promote cybersecurity awareness.

She referred to national initiatives launched through the National Cyber Security Agency to build a cyber-secure society through awareness campaigns, training programs, and modern educational tools, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Cyber Security Strategy 2024–2030.

Her Excellency explained that these initiatives target various segments of society and utilize a range of educational and awareness tools, including digital safety guides, awareness videos, interactive cybersecurity games, interactive robots, and specialized workshops on personal data protection and digital risk prevention.

She noted that women parliamentarians face growing challenges in both political and digital spaces, including online violence, the reinforcement of stereotypes, misinformation, and algorithmic bias, all of which can limit women's fair participation in political life.

HE the Sura Council Deputy Speaker stressed that addressing these challenges is no longer solely a women's issue but a broader societal responsibility that requires strengthening awareness, education, and digital safety to ensure a safer and more equitable digital environment that enables women's meaningful participation in public life.

She added that Qatar's national programs focus on cybersecurity, data privacy, digital safety for children and families, and the promotion of digital legal awareness.

She emphasized the importance of continuously enhancing protection tools, legislation, and public awareness to keep pace with evolving digital threats, including phishing, ransomware, cyberbullying, and the misuse of artificial intelligence and deepfake technologies.

HE Al Sulaiti called for greater exchange of successful experiences and initiatives among countries to help build a safer digital society and strengthen cooperation in addressing shared cybersecurity challenges.

She also underscored the importance of developing joint awareness and training initiatives, exchanging best practices in data protection and digital privacy, and promoting the safe participation of women in public life.

On the sidelines of the conference, HE the Deputy Speaker held bilateral meetings with a number of participating parliamentarians, including HE Speaker of the Hungarian Parliament Agnes Forsthofer, HE Vice President of Serbia's National Assembly Edin Djerlek, HE Member of Germany's the Bundestag Claudia Roth, HE Eswatini's Senate Deputy President Ndumiso Mdluli, HE Member of the Portuguese Assembly Manuela Tender, HE Member of Canada's House of Commons and Member of the King's Privy Council for Canada, Michelle Rempel Garner, and HE President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU) Bureau of Women Parliamentarians Cynthia Lopez Castro.

The meetings addressed parliamentary cooperation relations and ways to enhance and develop them, in addition to exchanging views on a number of issues of mutual interest. (QNA)