The UAE has been at the forefront granting women equally level playing fields to reduce the gender imbalance
Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) has been undertaking initiatives to encourage Emirati women to tap the complete potential offered by the leadership aiming to boost their contribution to the UAE’s economic growth as well as scale heights in development and growth.
The year embarked with continuity of ‘Qudwa’ – Arabic for ‘role models’ – an initiative that creates a platform for female Emirati role models to share their knowledge, skills and experience with national women across all strata of society. The initiative seeks to empower national women to further contribute to the development of the UAE.
In line with the values of the ‘Year of Zayed’, Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of DWE, and wife of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs, has announced the continuation of the “Qudwa” initiative throughout 2018. This will extend the benefits of the initiative to more female students, graduates and professionals through engagement with established female Emirati leaders across various fields.
Sheikha Manal said: “The UAE was built upon foundations of unlimited giving and generosity, inspired by the teachings and values of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan which are firmly rooted within our culture. Emirati women exemplify these values and continue to play a key role in the UAE’s ongoing success story. Through the “Qudwa” sessions, we are working to share the professional and personal experiences of these inspirational women amongst the younger generations. The initiative therefore provides a powerful platform for young women to learn from the achievements and wisdom of today’s female Emirati leaders, as well as the challenges they have overcome.”
Sheikha Manal highlighted that knowledge, innovation and human development are key pillars of the UAE’s continued journey of growth and progression, adding: “The UAE has placed a strong emphasis on investing in people and equipping Emirati women with the knowledge and skills required to further enhance their contribution to the nation’s development. The “Qudwa” initiative is a testament to DWE’s commitment to develop programmes that promote the active participation of Emirati women across all fields”.
To date, the initiative has reached over 1,000 students across the UAE from Zayed University’s Abu Dhabi and Dubai campuses, along with the United Arab Emirates University in Al Ain, University of Sharjah and the Higher College of Technology in Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah.
In another major drive, the DWE in collaboration with the Department of Economic Development (DED), launched ‘Insta Hub – a platform for women e-Traders’, as the first of various initiatives and projects which the two parties plan to launch over the coming months.
‘Insta Hub – a platform for women e-Traders’ has been organised to help UAE and GCC female nationals who own e-businesses in marketing their products and services and reaching a larger range of consumers inside and outside of the country, through the e-Traders licences issued by DED to conduct business activities on social networking sites.
The ‘Insta Hub’ event was part of a partnership agreement signed between DWE- DED to register 36 e-Trader licences free-of-charge to UAE and GCC women who have established businesses on social networking sites. DWE supports female DED e-Trader licence holders by sharing details about their events with DWE’s database and Dubai Ladies Club members, and promoting them via the Establishment’s social media channels. DWE also provides the women e-Traders with a 30 per cent discount on annual membership and services provided by Dubai Ladies Club and the ‘Al Asalla Spa’, and organises exhibitions for their products and services at the Club’s premises.
The agreement was signed by Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, and Omar Khalifa, Deputy CEO of Commercial Compliance and Consumer Protection (CCCP) sector in DED. Saleh expressed her satisfaction with the strategic partnership signed with DED, and explained that the partnership comes in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for government entities to enhance cooperation, exchange experiences, and implement best practices in order to serve the public interest.
Saleh stated that she is committed to supporting Emirati women and providing them with the tools required to develop their skills, by launching innovative initiatives and programmes that support DWE’s vision to enhance the participation of Emirati women.
UAE women chalk path to success
The UAE has indeed made a strong mark among its peers by encouraging women to come forward and make use of all the facilities that help them make their dream of being entrepreneurs into a reality. The nation has been at the forefront to boost the economy by granting women equally level playing fields and paring the gender balance imbalance.
The wave of change is evident as more and more corporates encourage women participation at the boardroom level to the CEOs and Cabinet Ministers.
Alida Scholtz, CEO and MD, G4S UAE, said: “UAE places great importance on the contribution of women to the economy. This is because of the vision of the UAE leadership and their keenness to empower women with education and skills that prepares them to be the leaders and change agents of tomorrow.
“The UAE leadership has created tremendous opportunities not only for men, but also for women to thrive in the society and contribute to the economy, where they all have a direct impact on the overall progress and growth of their nation. It is amazing to witness how women have embraced the change in their role in society – with pride and success. Women will continue to play an important role, with men as their partners, in achieving their nation’s vision.”
Source: https://goo.gl/CeXTse
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