JEDDAH, 10 February 2005 — The second Gulf Businesswomen’s Conference will take place in Jeddah in April in cooperation with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organizing committee president Hessa Al-Oun said. The first conference, held in December 2003 in Oman, saw the establishment of the Gulf Businesswomen Committee. Recognizing the need to communicate and exchange information and expertise, the committee facilitates networking and cooperation between businesswomen through regular meetings.
In the first conference, women were encouraged to brush up their skills and education to land top jobs in the region’s male-dominated workplace. In several Gulf countries unemployment is a major issue, especially for women. The council of the Gulf Businesswomen’s Committee held their regular bi-monthly meeting in Jeddah on Tuesday and decided to organize the second conference in Jeddah in April. According to Saudi businesswoman Al-Oun, more than 600 businesswomen from the region are expected to attend. “The conference was approved by all the governments of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Gulf Chambers of Commerce Council and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce council,” she said.