RIYADH: Empowerment of women is on the right course in the Kingdom, said a senior official of the GCC Secretariat while opening a symposium Tuesday on “Women Leaders in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Their Role in Administrative Development Symposium,” in Riyadh.
Organized by the Institute of Public Administration, in coordination with the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, the symposium drew an audience of more than 500 women participants and 13 leading female speakers representing both government and private sectors in the GCC countries.
The attendees were women from all walks of life, which included officials from the public and private sectors, graduates, undergraduates, school leavers, and job-seekers.
The speakers presented their papers at the symposium, which discussed the role of women leaders in decision and policy making that would enhance the role of women in the GCC countries, and their role in development.
Inaugurating the symposium on behalf of GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Ambassador Hamad bin Rashed Al-Marri, assistant secretary-general for legal affairs and legislation at the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council for the Arab Gulf States, said that it is encouraging to note that the Kingdom has embarked on several projects to empower women in several sectors.
“Women in the Kingdom are being given responsible positions in various sectors, and the symposium itself is self-explanatory about the progress of women’s empowerment in the Kingdom,” he said.
Talking of the role of women in the GCC countries, he said that women have become decision makers and policy planners in the public and private sectors in the region.
“We can see woman ministers and heads of organizations in some countries, especially in the United Arab Emirates,” he added.
Welcoming the guests at the inaugural ceremony, General Director of the Institute of Public Administration Dr. Mushabab Al-Qahtani said the event was organized by the women’s wing of the institute to carry out an awareness among women about the challenges and appropriate measures to overcome them to become useful workers in their respective workplaces. He said the programs have been drawn in compliance with the Saudi 2030 Vision which offers plenty of opportunities for women to engage in lucrative jobs in the Kingdom.
Speaking on the occasion, Hend Al-Sheikh, head of the women’s department of the Institute of Public Administration, said the main aim of the program is to enable women to learn managerial skills that would help work in a fitting manner at their respective workplaces.
The meeting was also attended by eminent scholars such as Dr. Hanan Al-Ahmadi, a member of the Shoura Council, Dr. Inas bint Suleiman Al-Issa, undersecretary of Applied Studies and Community Service College at King Saud University, and Fawziah Bakr Al-Bakr, professor of education at the College of Education at King Saud University.
