Report on Women's Empowerment in the UAE

The Emirates News Agency, WAM, yesterday issued a special report on the empowering of the UAE's women to coincide with the opening of the Arab-Chinese Women's Forum in Abu Dhabi tomorrow.

The march of women's advancement commenced with the establishment of the UAE on 2nd December, 1971. This was part of the ambitious programme of development launched by the founder of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, for the building of the homeland and the raising up of its citizens, based upon his recognition that women represent half of society.

The establishment of the General Women's Union on 27th August, 1975, with the unlimited support of Sheikh Zayed and under the chairmanship of the pioneering leader of women's empowerment, H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, represented a starting point in the march of women's progress and empowerment.

The General Women's Union has completed a continuous series of ambitious strategies, programmes and plans to strengthen the capacities of women and activate their role in community service, as well as promoting their position locally, regionally and internationally.

The National Strategy for the Advancement of Women, launched by H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, in 2002, is one of the major achievements of the march of the Union, most notably of all in the progress of women empowerment.

The strategy - which was prepared by the General Women's Union, national teams of all governmental and non-governmental institutions in the country, experts of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, UN Women, and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP - is based on the Constitution of the United Arab Emirates and all of the items and articles included therein pertaining to ensuring the rights of women in various fields.

The strategy provides a roadmap for the empowerment of women in eight main areas: education, health, the economy, law-making, the environment, the social domain, information, political participation and decision-making. The UAE was the first country in the region to launch such a strategy, keeping pace with strategies of international action for the advancement of women. It follows on from the National Plan of Action for Women in the UAE, approved by the General Women's Union in 1999.

The UAE has also implemented its commitment to legislative protection for the rights of the family, women and children, through joining the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, as well as the International Convention concerning Employment of Women during the Night, as well as by signing other agreements aimed at achieving full gender equality in rights and duties.

Emirati Women: Political And Economic Empowerment In the UAE, women have achieved further gains, quality and outstanding achievements, ahead of women in many other parts of the world, as part of the efforts aimed at promoting the country's renaissance and political empowerment programmes, as well as the strategy of the 5th Ten-Year plan to empower citizens, launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, which attached particular importance to the empowerment of women in all areas.

Today, women in the UAE are key partners in leading the drive towards sustainable development and occupy the highest positions in the executive, legislative and judicial sovereignty authorities, as well as having a strong presence in the Arab, regional and international women's arenas. This enhances and supports participation by Emirati women in political life, where they hold numerous high positions, including several ministerial portfolios, membership of the Federal National Council and participation in the diplomatic corps, the judiciary, the public prosecution authorities and the boards of directors of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

At present, women hold around 30% of the senior jobs related to the decision-making process, 10% of the jobs in the diplomatic corps, 7 seats on the Federal National Council, representing 17.5% of the total number of seats, one holding the post of Senior Deputy FNC Speaker. UAE women at present also hold four ministerial positions as well as the position of the Secretary General of the Cabinet.

UAE women are also involved in the Military and Police service, rising to the rank of Brigadier. One UAE woman currently serves as Chairperson of the Arab Women Organisation.

Women's participation in economic activities, including the membership of the workforce has risen since the founding of the Women Business Council. There are now over 22,000 women members of the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, running nearly 25,000 economic and commercial projects with investments of up to Dh45 billion.

On 9th December 2014, the UAE Cabinet agreed that there should be women members on the boards of trustees of all governmental authorities, institutions and companies.

Women in the United Arab Emirates have occupied the highest positions with the support of the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates.

In addition, the Emirati women can be found working efficiently and with a high degree of competence amongst the citizens working in the field of outer space research at the Emirates Space Agency and in the new development strategy based on a knowledge economy and innovation, including renewable energy, nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, the manufacture and launch of satellites, aviation technology industry, and technology for the military weapons industry.

The UAE's efforts in the field of women's empowerment is not restricted to achieving steady successes and achievements for Emirati women in all areas, but has also reached out to support of women in the region and the world in general, this being demonstrated in its welcoming, last September, of the hosting of the UN Women Coordination Office in Abu Dhabi, with the support of Sheikha Fatima, to strengthen the work of the UN and to expand its presence and activities in the region and the world.

The UAE has also announced its provision of aid to the UN Commission on the Status of Women, by donating US$5 million to the UN's core budget between 2014 – 2016, to contribute to support of gender equality, women's empowerment, and peace and security programmes.

Women in the country now rank first globally in educational attainment, according to the annual report of the World Economic Forum in 2012, by obtaining 10,000 points, came in 81st position in political empowerment of women with 1,206 points on the WEF index, , and rank 122nd globally in the economic participation index with 4,751 points.

The UAE also was first among Arab countries in the gender gap index for 2012 issued by the World Economic Forum in 2013, which covered 113 countries.

According to the index, the UAE has maintained its lead in the Arab region in the field of the economic and political participation of women. The World Report ranks the gender gap in the countries surveyed in four key areas, namely access to health care, education, political participation and economic equality.

The election of the UAE to membership of the UN Executive Board for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, for a three-year period, 2013-2015, demonstrates the trust that the UAE has gained. It is also an indication of the results of the global report by the Global Agenda Council World Economic Forum in 2014, in which the UAE took first position globally in the women's respect index, an international acknowledgment of the comprehensive achievements of Emirati women, particularly in achieving full gender equality, and the country's notable progress in the political, economic, social, scientific and other women empowerment indexes.

The UAE continues its efforts to promote gender equality and the empowerment of women in all areas to integrate their full participation in the country's sustainable development plans and programmes.

The Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced during the global Government Summit held in Dubai in February, 2015, the formation of the UAE Gender Balance Council, designed to activate the role of women as an essential partner in building the country's future, in line with the UAE's plans to strengthen their position in society and in employment, and their role as educators of the future generations, the mainstay of the family, and their role in the construction of the main building block of society.

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak also launched, in March 2015, the Strategy for Empowerment of Emirati Women in the UAE, 2015-2021, which provides a framework and reference for all federal and government institutions and civil society organisations in developing plans and work programmes to empower women in all areas of sustainable development, in an effort to provide them with a good quality of life.

Her Highness expressed confidence in the strategy's contribution to women's future progress which the country seeks for its people through partnerships with government and federal institutions, civil society organisations and regional and international organisations and bodies, and for the strategy to serve as a framework in the development of plans and programmes in the UAE. This would raise the UAE to a position on a par with developed countries in the field of women's empowerment and leadership.

President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has expressed his delight that women enjoy their rights. "We have made women's empowerment an urgent national priority, and thanks to proper planning, our nation has achieved a good track record in the field of women's rights where she enjoys full rights, and exercises activities without any discrimination," he said adding that, "All doors are open for women to achieve further progress and development."

In the view of the Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, "The UAE went beyond the stage of women's empowerment. We are now empowering the community through women."

Sheikha Fatima also said that the concept of women's empowerment in the UAE is no longer just a term or a theoretical concept, but has turned into a practical reality, embodied in the active participation of women in different spheres of public life, thanks to the wise leadership of His Highness President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his vision and belief in the absolute necessity in investing in human capital as the most effective way of building the nation.