Queen Rania of Jordan urges UN to act against international humanitarian law violators

No one can claim to stand for women and stay on the sidelines – Queen Rania of Jordan

By Marivir R. Montebon

New York - Jordanian Queen Rania Al Abdullah delivered a two-minute speech urging the UN to urgently go after violators of international humanitarian law in the wake of the tripled suffering of women in armed conflicts on September 22, 2025, during the ECOSOC conference, the ‘SDG Moment’ at the UN Headquarters in NY on the Beijing Declaration of women’s empowerment.

Queen Rania said that Israel's war on Gaza has shortened life expectancy by 30 years, thirty years after the Beijing Declaration. “What have global promises done for them?” she asked.

Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan

The Palestine-born royalty went straightforward on the heightened suffering of women in war conflicts with Gaza in clear focus. Jordan has actively campaigned for the ceasefire in Gaza, supported a two-state policy, and provided airborne humanitarian aid for Gazans.

Outside the UN complex on 1st Avenue, rallyists calling for ceasefire in Gaza and for the US to stop sponsoring Israel’s war in Palestine, have been a staple sight since the three-week United Nations General Assembly conferences started in September.

Majority of the UN member states support a two-state policy in Palestine, to which Israel rejects. Known as the New York Declaration, 142 members voted yes, 10 voted no, and 12 abstained. The resolution has a phased plan to end the conflict and establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Full speech of Queen Rania:

Thirty years ago, the Beijing Declaration set an ambitious agenda for gender equality, and there has been progress. In Jordan, I am proud to see many women living meaningful lives true to their own aspirations and ambitions.

But we all have a long way to go with rising violence pushing women further behind.

In the past two years, global conflict has soared to its highest levels in three decades. Of all the challenges facing women today, this surge is by far the most destructive. It’s true - bombs don’t discriminate. But wounds borne on women in war zones cut deeper than flesh.

Gendered violence, heightened health risks, exploitation and the daily assault on their dignity. Yes, we must celebrate women’s achievements everywhere. But what do glass ceilings mean to women forced to live in tents?

The women suffering most often receive the least global attention. The starving of women surviving on animal feed. The Rohingya girl coming of age in a defunded camp. And countless others whose stories go untold.

Every silence sends this message: some women are worth defending, and some aren’t worth the trouble. That silence has been deafening in Gaza.

The SDG Moment Ecosoc conference on the Beijing Declaration.

There we see female journalists reporting about their own families’ displacements. Caesarians performed by flashlight, without anesthesia. And new mothers, too malnourished to nourish and denied access to infant formulas, watch their babies fall to famine.   

Israel's war on Gaza has shortened life expectancy by 30 years, thirty years after the Beijing Declaration. What have global promises done for them?

There’s no denying the power of woman to endure under fire, but that empowerment did not come from decisions made in halls like this one.  It came in spite of them.

Women's rights cannot be filtered through the lens of political expediency. Our international system is failing generations of women by failing to stop those committing violence with impunity.

I urge the UN to act urgently against violators of international humanitarian law and restore some balance in our world.

No one can claim to stand for women and stay on the sidelines. Thank you." #