UAE Gender Balance Council, World Bank explore collaboration to enhance women’s economic participation – News

World Bank official lauds UAE’s progress in promoting gender balance and supporting women’s economic empowerment

UAE Gender Balance Council officials meet with World Bank officials on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai. – Wow

The UAE Gender Balance Council (UAE GBC) has met with the World Bank to discuss collaboration to enhance women’s economic participation in the region.

The meeting was part of the Council’s World Government Summit participation and activities under the patronage of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the UAE Gender Balance Council.

During the meeting, Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice-Chairman of the UAE Gender Balance Council, and Ferid Belhaj, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Region, discussed new avenues for enhanced knowledge exchange and closer collaboration to achieve their shared goals.

The two organizations have established a strong framework for collaboration, as part of which they established the UAE Center of Excellence and Knowledge Exchange on Gender Balance, a regional center for the development of gender balance expertise in the region.

Al Marri said that the UAE Gender Balance Council is committed to building global partnerships to promote women’s empowerment and gender balance, especially with countries and organizations with significant expertise in this field, following the directives of Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, to take initiatives to achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5.

She said that the UAE GBC’s close ties to the World Bank are reflected in their major joint activities and initiatives.

The World Bank has provided technical advice to the UAE Gender Balance Council on several projects and co-organized a session entitled “Empowering Women for a Better Economy” during the World Government Summit last year, focusing on the positive aspects of gender balance on the economy. Influence. Educational, economic, social and political spheres.

Mona Al Marri and Ferid Belhaj discuss how to maximize the impact of the UAE Center for Gender Balance of Excellence and Knowledge Exchange through regular workshops and projects on energy and climate.

The 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28), to be held in the UAE, will help raise awareness of the role of diversity and inclusion in promoting prosperity, sustainable development and social stability.

The two sides reaffirmed their desire to further strengthen cooperation in many areas, including organizing forums, formulating projects and conducting research to address challenges and promote best practices in areas such as gender balance, energy, climate and capacity building. The two sides agreed to jointly host a series of high-level meetings during COP28 under the framework of the UAE Center of Excellence and Knowledge Exchange on Gender Balance.

Ferid Belhaj praised the UAE’s progress in promoting gender balance and supporting women’s economic empowerment. He said the UAE has set an inspiring example to the world in promoting gender balance in all fields. In the “Women, Business and the Law” report released annually by the World Bank, it has been ranked among the best in the Middle East and North Africa region for two consecutive years. The UAE scored perfect marks (out of 100) across the report’s five main pillars: freedom of movement, workplace, wages, entrepreneurship and pensions.

He highlighted the role of the “UAE Center of Excellence and Knowledge Exchange for Gender Balance” in supporting global efforts towards sustainable development.