Yet more gender-related legislation has been enacted since then. For example,...

Yet more gender-related legislation has been enacted since then. For example, the principle of gender equality in pension age was established in 2003. The status of women took a qualitative leap forward in the domain of political participation in 2008, when an election law was enacted stipulating that women must hold at least 25 per cent of the seats not only in the Sudanese federal Parliament but also in all 10 state Parliaments. In the Sudan, there is a federal Parliament in the capital city of Khartoum and there are 10 state Parliaments, one in each of the 10 federal states. Twenty-five per cent of the membership of all these parliaments is held by women through direct, free elections.

We cherish and take pride in that progress in the Sudan. It indicates the importance we attach to promoting the status of women in our country. The Vice-President of the federal Parliament of the Sudan is a woman, and a full 66 per cent of our civil service is composed of women, making men a minority in the service. In the judiciary, there are 80 female magistrates, some of whom have become Supreme Court justices. In the field of diplomacy, many women have taken on the title of Ambassador and represent the Sudan in many of our diplomatic missions.