Today's Edition
ABU DHABI (WAM)
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council (Nafis), witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the ETCC and the UAE Gender Balance Council during the UAE Government's Annual Meetings 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
The agreement, signed by Ghannam Al Mazrouei, the Secretary General of Nafis and Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, aims to enhance cooperation and coordination between the two parties to support the participation of Emirati women in the private sector through joint initiatives and programmes.
On this occasion, H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, expressed her pride in signing this agreement, which contributes to achieving the vision of the wise leadership to enhance the leadership role of Emirati women in all fields.
She stressed that the agreement is a qualitative leap in the efforts made to increase the participation of Emirati women in leadership positions in the private sector, which is a key partner in achieving national goals, including sustainable economic and societal development.
Her Highness praised the positive results of Nafis over the past three years in enhancing the performance of Emirati human resources and encouraging them to join the private sector in various fields and professional specialisations and contribute to the sustainable economic development in the country, with the support and motivation of the wise leadership. She said that the agreement will enhance these efforts, especially with regard to the role of women in this sector, which is an important tributary to the national economy.
H.H. Sheikha Manal added that the UAE's unique partnership between the government and the private sector, which is based on transparency and a shared vision of present and future challenges, is one of the success factors in the UAE's approach to formulating effective and successful policies.
"The UAE Gender Balance Council is committed to this in its initiatives, including the " SDG 5 Pledge to Accelerate Gender Balance in the UAE Private Sector " initiative, which was developed and launched two years ago, in collaboration with the Private Sector Advisory Council, and has been joined by many national and international private sector organisations operating in various fields in the UAE. It has voluntarily committed to raising the percentage of women in senior and middle management positions to a minimum of 30 percent by 2025."
Ghannam Al Mazrouei praised the importance of promoting the participation of Emirati women in leadership positions in the private sector. He noted that this agreement with the UAE Gender Balance Council serves one of the most important objectives of Emiratisation in the private sector, which the Emirati Talent Competitiveness Council seeks to achieve.
Al Mazrouei said, “We are proud of this partnership, which aims to promote gender diversity and empower women in leadership positions. We will work to increase the participation of private sector companies in the SDG 5 Acceleration Pledge, a unique initiative that is the first of its kind in the global private sector and reflects a unique partnership between the public and private sectors to achieve national targets.”
The agreement will highlight the efforts of companies and organisations that contribute to the empowerment of Emirati women and highlight their achievements in the private sector, and will highlight a number of distinguished success stories, which will serve as a catalyst for further contributions of Emirati women in supporting and developing a sustainable national economy.
Mona Al Marri expressed her thanks to the Nafis for its support of the UAE Gender Balance Council's objectives related to enhancing the participation of Emirati women in the private sector, and leadership and decision-making positions in particular, which has a positive impact on the business growth of gender-balanced organisations.
She pointed out that the agreement will contribute in this regard by jointly launching a special track to enhance the participation of Emirati women in leadership positions in the private sector under the
" SDG 5 Pledge to Accelerate Gender Balance in the UAE Private Sector " initiative, launching joint initiatives and programmes to motivate more companies to join this pledge, and recognising organisations that achieve outstanding performance in the 'Nafis Award' according to the highest standards.
“The UAE Gender Balance Council will intensify its efforts to enhance Emirati female participation in the Nafis Leadership Programme by collaborating with national and international organisations,” she said, adding that this initiative supports the fifth Sustainable Development Goal and promotes awareness of gender balance in the private sector. “The council emphasises that data exchange and studies between the two parties will help develop strategic plans to increase Emirati representation in the private sector and advance sustainable development goals.”
The UAE Gender Balance Council recently held its fourth meeting for 2024 alongside the UAE Government's Annual meetings, where it evaluated its achievements and projects from the third quarter. The Council discussed upcoming initiatives aimed at promoting gender balance across all sectors in the UAE and enhancing global partnerships.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mona Al Marri with the participation of Council members.
