Women Have Advanced Across All Sectors In The UAE: Hessa Essa Buhumaid

Women have advanced across all sectors in the UAE: Hessa Essa Buhumaid

SHARJAH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 10th Dec, 2019) The word "impossible" did not exist in the UAE’s dictionary, which is why women occupy 66 percent of the jobs in the public sector, said Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development, at a session titled "One World = One Community", during the second edition of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit, WEEGS, which began today in Sharjah.

She was referring to the progress made by Emirati women since the formation of the UAE.

"Strengthening the role of women and their leading position has come through a truly wise government that believes in the entitlement of women to share leadership positions with men and the availability of legislations that allow women to advance to leadership roles," she said.

This had been passed down by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had advocated women’s participation in leadership positions in all fields. "The General Women’s Union which was established in 1975 and supported by the Father of the Nation, the late Sheikh Zayed, was the first brick laid in the foundation of women empowerment in the country," she added.

The minister also pointed to the contribution of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, GWU, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, FDF, who strongly supported the empowerment of women and their role in leading sustainable development in the UAE.

Buhumaid noted that 50 percent of the Federal National Council comprised women. "The UAE has the youngest female minister in the world, the highest percentage of female graduates, and we rank first in the Arab world and 26th in the world in the United Nations Development Programme’s 2019 Gender Equality Index," she said.

She added that the UAE had created an environment that encouraged women with excellent employment opportunities and encouraged entrepreneurship, which had resulted in women initiating 30 percent of small and medium enterprises.

Being held under the theme, "Drivers of Change", the two-day summit features 18 theme-specific sessions that bring together local and global experts, women empowerment advocates and senior industry figures to address development horizons and opportunities available to women across four pillars: gender-responsive procurement, women’s participation in value chains, the Women’s Empowerment Principles and women’s access to finance.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of H.H. the Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairperson of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, WEEGS is organised by NAMA in collaboration with UN Women.