The participants of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, conference that concluded its activities in the French capital, Paris, under the theme, "Soft Power Today: Fostering Women's Empowerment and Leadership", have agreed to adopt all the suggestions of the UAE Federal National Council, FNC, during its closing statement.
Dr. Amal Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Speaker of the FNC, while participating in the conference that included presidents of countries and governments and over 450 female leaders from around the world, made a number of suggestions that can contribute to strengthening the considerable soft power of women, to help confront the major challenges facing the world. She also mentioned the Abu Dhabi Declaration that was issued at the end of the "Global Summit for Women Speakers of Parliament", which was held in December 2016, under the theme, "United for shaping the Future".
She added that this declaration highlighted the role of female leaders and members of the community, to overcome the considerable current and future challenges facing everyone. She explained that the 18th working clause, presented in the declaration, called for the strengthening of equality between the sexes and the empowering of women, and stressed the importance of accelerating women’s participation in all aspects of life and on all levels of political participation, as well as ending discrimination and violence against women. She also discussed the inequality in economic opportunities and ended with an important call for women and men to form a strong partnership to achieve these goals.
She highlighted the suggestions, included in the final statement of the conference, to establish a new international framework based on measurable goals, and especially focussing on developing more effective tools to accelerate women’s empowerment and prevent struggles around the world, as divisions increasingly affect community, economic and political activities, usually leading to violence and extremism.
"We need an international cultural revolution, strengthened through soft power, which is guided by a real partnership between governments, parliaments, the private sector and the community," she added, while expressing her belief that governments and parliaments cannot do that on their own. To succeed in our mission, the private sector and community leaders must play a central role, she further added. She also pointed out that the best innovative way to solve this issue lies in establishing the "Soft Power Council", as was done in the UAE.
"We need new and innovative ways to strengthen the leadership and empowerment of women, on local and international levels, and through greater investment in technological advances in social media, to increase the effect of women’s power around the world," she concluded.
The participants of the conference, which was headed by Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, praised the UAE’s experience in supporting, training and empowering Emirati women in several areas, whether in government or the private sector and their rise through their abilities.

Source: WAM