ABU DHABI, 31 October 2007 — Women in the UAE today work as university professors, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, journalists, and at senior level as a minister, undersecretary and an active member of the Federal National Council (FNC), said Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, supreme chairperson of the Family Development Foundation, in her keynote address at the opening of the regional conference for woman parliamentarians and decision-makers in the Gulf Cooperation Council states.
The address was read on her behalf by Sheikh Nahayan ibn Mubarak Al-Nahayan, minister of higher education and scientific research. Women members of Parliament from GCC countries are participating in the two-day event that is organized by the FNC in collaboration with the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
State news agency WAM quoted Sheikha Fatima as saying that the UAE community had stimulated the women to unleash their potential and capabilities and that they have proved their mettle efficiently in different walks of life.
She explained that UAE women had made their presence felt strongly in senior management and diplomatic positions, accounting for 30 percent of total manpower. In the specialized sectors, Sheikha Fatima added, women hold 60 percent of positions and assume decision-making roles in the business, finance and production sectors. “Around 25 percent of the FNC members are women — one of the highest rates in the world,” she pointed out.
Sheikha Fatima noted that the number of female students enrolled in different levels of education far exceeded that of their male counterparts. She cited the UAE Businesswomen Council as one of the many success stories. With more than 12,000 membership, the council is running investment worth 25 billion dirhams.
She underlined the UAE’s keenness to deepen women’s participation in political life and its endeavors to qualify them through various training courses, such as the Political Empowerment Program.
In an address to the conference, Anders B. Johnsson, the IPU secretary-general, said that women’s participation was indispensable to good governance and setting good policy.
“The conference is topical. It takes place at a time of important changes for women in politics around the world and in particular in the region where we are meeting today. We have reached an all-time record of 17.4 percent of women parliamentarians in the world. Never has this figure been that high, though, you will agree, it remains very unsatisfactory to say the least,” he said.
“In the Arab region, women represent nine percent of parliamentarians. While relatively low, this represents nevertheless a great step forward. Six years ago, the average was only four percent. We want to see more women in parliaments in the GCC countries as indeed everywhere,” Johnsson added.
