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UAE a role model for gender balance, says vice-chairman of UAE Gender Balance Council
Mona Almari: UAE leadership’s vision for women’s empowerment ensures women are equal participants and key contributors in the nation’s sustainable development journey
“Leadership Confidence in Women’s Capabilities Makes Country a Gender-Balanced Global Leader”
Her Excellency Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice-Chairman of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said the leadership’s vision of empowering women ensures that women are equal participants and key contributors in the country’s sustainable development journey. She noted leadership confidence in women’s capabilities has made the country a global leader in gender balance.
The UAE’s rapid progress in terms of gender balance is reflected in the country’s ranking first in the Arab world and 11th globally in the Gender Inequality Index (GII) of the UNDP Human Development Report 2022, His Excellency said. Since the establishment of the UAE Gender Balance Council seven years ago, the country has jumped 38 places on the Gender Inequality Index. She added that the UAE also topped the World Bank’s “Women, Business and the Law 2022” report and the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Report 2022 for the second year in a row.
The 8th Dubai International Project Management Forum (DIPMF) held at Madinat from January 23 to 26 under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council ), Jumeirah’s Al Marri said in 2022 the country’s private sector has further strengthened its participation in initiatives to accelerate the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5). A total of 56 UAE-based local and international companies have joined a national initiative aimed at increasing the percentage of women in senior leadership positions to 30 percent by 2025. Some companies have increased the percentage of senior female leaders in their organizations to as high as 27 percent, Your Excellency noted.
She also said that women have gained the trust of the UAE leadership by demonstrating their capabilities in various fields. Women make up 27.5 percent of the UAE Cabinet and 50 percent of the UAE Federal National Assembly, and hold key positions as members of the diplomatic corps. “Emirati women make significant contributions in various fields and play an important leadership role in accelerating the country’s growth and sustainable development,” she added.
Since its inception, the efforts of the UAE Gender Balance Council have been instrumental in improving Dubai’s ranking in various global gender balance reports and indices. Al Marri highlighted the preeminent role of His Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the National Federation of Women, President of the Supreme Council for Maternity and Childhood, and Supreme Chairman of the Family Development Foundation, in promoting women’s development, saying, “Mothers of Women ” Nation works tirelessly to ensure women are equal partners in the UAE’s development process.
Under the leadership of His Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the UAE Gender Balance Council, Chairman of Dubai Women’s Institution, and wife of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Al Marri said the Presidential Affairs Committee will continue to promote cooperation with local and Close cooperation with leading international organizations to achieve their goals. The council has launched a number of projects and initiatives, including the Global Gender Circle and the UAE Gender Balance Index, to encourage adoption of gender balance best practices.
She further noted that the UAE Gender Balance Council constantly reviews existing practices and legislation to recommend new policies to promote women’s growth, participation and well-being. The UAE rose from 49th in the 2015 UNDP Gender Inequality Index to 18th in 2020 and 11th in the 2022 edition of the index. The growth in the ranking is in line with the goal of promoting gender balance set by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Al Marri further said that the UAE Gender Balance Council has been selected as a knowledge partner of the World Economic Forum to promote gender balance globally, recognizing the country’s pioneering and influential role in advancing the gender balance agenda in the Arab world. The UAE Gender Balance Council, in partnership with the World Bank, has established a Center of Excellence in the country to share the UAE’s expertise in the field and provide assistance to countries in the region to bridge the gender gap.
Al Marri, who was part of the UAE’s official delegation to the World Economic Forum’s 52nd annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland last week, said that while many other countries were still discussing initiatives to set up childcare centers in the workplace, as early as 2008 In 2010, the UAE implemented an initiative led by His Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed to establish childcare centers in workplaces.
Al Marri commended the Dubai International Project Management Forum 2023 for including topics related to gender balance in the event agenda. She called for a greater role for the private sector in promoting gender balance as part of the leadership’s broader vision for women’s development and empowerment.
Al Marri highlighted the emphasis placed by the UAE leadership on women’s education, saying that 56 percent of UAE graduates in STEM fields are women, one of the highest rates in the world. Citing the example of Dubai’s organization’s outstanding achievements in terms of gender balance, she said the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) employed 100 female engineers. Thanks to the country’s strong investment in education, women are active participants across the economy.
Al Marri also highlighted the role of the media as an important partner in accurately conveying the UAE’s gender balance achievements.
Al Marri said that the gender balance model in the UAE aims to find the ideal balance between the participation and empowerment of women in the public and professional spheres and their role in the family as mothers who play an active role in the development of their children.
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