At a summit organized by UN Women, her Majesty Queen Rania travelled to New York City to speak on behalf of Arab women and the unique challenges they face. On Wednesday, September 26 at the HeForShe IMPACT summit, world leaders gathered to share groundbreaking ideas and solutions towards achieving gender equality, recognizing men and boys as partners for women’s rights. Alongside the presidents of Finland, Rwanda, Iceland, and Malawi, as well as UN Women Global Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway, Her Majesty brought attention to the difficulties for Arab women in particular and the unparalleled strength they exhibit.

“Through civil war and armed conflict, unemployment and forced displacement, Arab women are digging deep to hold their families together in the most testing conditions,” she said. Globally, Queen Rania explained, women are disproportionately affected by crises, and that during times of significant turmoil “women slip off national agendas, increasing the gap between hardship and hope.”

Regularly championing the work of Arab women — even wearing a Middle Eastern brand at the UN Headquarters just days ago — she made note of some of the incredible work being done in the region, like the Jordanian digital platform, SitatByoot, that enables women to find jobs they can work from home and market their skills.

“Empowerment is contagious – I see it lighting up the faces of our youngest girls,” Queen Rania said. “It’s what I call ‘the reverse domino effect’: lift up one woman, and she’ll lift up others, who lift up more.”