When considering the status of women, we are able to say proudly that the Sud...

When considering the status of women, we are able to say proudly that the Sudan has deep-rooted pioneering experience in this field, as Sudanese women have always been genuine partners in the political and decision-making structures of our country since their participation in the election of the first Sudanese parliament in 1954 on the eve of our declaration of independence. These gains for women developed further when women were elected as members of the Sudanese parliament in 1964, following independence. Moreover, my country has applied the concept of equal pay for equal work for men and women since 1967. It was therefore only natural that the gains of Sudanese women in terms of political participation continued to develop, reaching the level of 25 per cent representation in the federal parliament as well as in provincial councils, in accordance with the laws governing the elections that were held in my country last April. This means that a quarter of the seats in Sudan's federal and provincial legislatures are held by women, which was mentioned by Ms. Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, in her statement at the opening of this debate. It is worth mentioning as just one example that in the judiciary alone 79 judgeships are held by Sudanese women, many of whom have presided as judges of the Supreme Court. Sudanese women have also held high-ranking diplomatic positions, including ambassadorships, and have been commanders in the armed forces, the police and the security forces.