UAE Minister: Women can overcome seemingly ‘insurmountable’ obstacles

Last updated on March 10th, 2023 at 10:48 am

Reem Bint Ebrahim Al Hashimy, the Minister of State for International Cooperation in the United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has said that women can overcome seemingly “insurmountable” obstacles and achieve the impossible, during a global gathering of top female talent in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE.

The UAE’s Minister of State for International Co-operation gave the example of the UAE as a country that achieved its goals in various fields, breaking barriers. The Emirati civil servant was addressing women entrepreneurs, artists, athletes and media personalities from across the world at the second annual Forbes 30/50 event on 8 march, which coincided with International Women’s Day.

Reem Al Hashimy lauded the efforts of the UAE in bringing people of all different faiths together. She highlighted the role of the UAE in the field of renewable energy and climate change. She said that the UAE takes pride in hosting COP28 this year. She also noted that the UAE adopted various measures to improve gender equality in the country.

The UAE is progressing towards gender equality and empowering women across sectors. The UAE is also ranked as a top country in gender equality in the region. Reportedly, two-thirds of the UAE’s leadership team are women.

The UAE also topped among Arab countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report of 2022. The report lauded the efforts of the UAE in progressing towards gender balance.

Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, president of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and supreme chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, has provided support to women in all sectors of the country.

The UAE’s Gender Balance Council (GBC) has collaborated with various federal entities in order to provide equal employee benefits to everyone. The Gender Balance Council implements the gender balance agenda in the country.

The number of female board members also increased to 77 seats in 2022 from 29 seats in 2020. The number of women in board positions has increased in listed companies in the UAE under the country’s efforts to improve gender diversity among corporations.

The increase in female board members came after the Securities and Commodities Authority, a federal financial regulatory agency in the UAE, gave listed companies in the country a mandate to ensure that they have at least one female director on their boards, as part of the country’s efforts to improve gender diversity.

The UAE also gave women greater rights by increasing maternity leave by a minimum of 30 per cent. A female worker in the UAE is entitled to a paid maternity leave of 45 days. The employer must grant the female worker maternity leave.

Reportedly, the UAE National Human Rights Committee also adopted various measures to promote women’s rights in the country.

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