LONDON, 24 October 2003 — A number of Saudi women are taking part in the Second Annual Arab International Women’s Forum Conference in London alongside delegates from 30 countries.
Four of the Saudi delegates represent the Saudi General Investment Authority while others, mainly businesswomen, are attending privately.
The conference, which will discuss the situation of Arab women under the heading “Windows of Opportunity in Business and Public Life”, was opened by Egyptian first lady Suzanne Mubarak. Also present was Sheikha Sabika bint Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, wife of the king of Bahrain.
Mrs. Mubarak said the Middle East had over the past year witnessed a significant downturn in development as a result of armed conflict, political instability and the explosive situation in occupied Palestine.
“Many women in the Arab world have been subjected to extremely harsh conditions, some of them fatal,” she said. Failure to solve the political problems could turn into time bombs. The most difficult task would be the rebuilding of what has been destroyed.
But Mrs. Mubarak said she was optimistic that Arab women would further improve their position now that many of them serve as members of Parliament and hold leading positions in both the public and private sectors.
Nadia Bakhurji from Saudi Arabia stressed the increasing understanding in the region of the role of women in economic and social development. She said this became evident during a recent economic forum held in Riyadh.
Bakhurji, an engineer, started her own business in 1989 by establishing a design and decoration firm. She said she managed to win several contracts despite strong competition and the real difficulties women face in a world dominated by men.
Women hold about 15 percent of shares in private firms and dominate 10 percent of the real estate market in the Kingdom. They own almost 25 percent of businesses in the Kingdom.
Sheikha Sabika highlighted the role of women in Bahrain saying Bahraini women were further consolidating their role in a country that witnessed the opening of the first school for girls in the Gulf region in 1928. Bahraini women account for 25 percent of the workforce in the Gulf kingdom.
Omani delegate Aseela Al-Harithi, who is chairwoman of internal affairs at the Omani Oil Company, said Omani women make up 18 to 20 percent of the workforce in the private sector and 26 percent in the public sector.
Arab women serve as ministers in 12 countries and in elected and appointed legislative councils in several other countries.
