Today's Edition
Mariam Boukhatamen (ABU DHABI)
UAE women have been successful in all fields, and their achievements have been consistently appreciated by the leadership since the country’s foundation, said Her Excellency Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State, in an interview with Aletihad.
“Since the foundation of the country, our government has worked on elevating the status of women, making them key partners in the development process and the evolution that the country has witnessed and will continue to witness until we achieve our development goals,” Her Excellency said.
“The women’s empowerment process begins with obtaining an education and gaining necessary knowledge, which has been facilitated by opening all disciplines to women, and enabling them to play their part in the journey of development and progress,” she added.
Women have proven their competence in all fields because they continued their education, training, and personal development, Her Excellency said, urging women to “keep up with the development movement”, especially in jobs that require deeper learning and advanced training.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the “Mother of the Nation,” Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), continuously focuses on the success of UAE women in the workplace, Her Excellency noted, adding that this process relies on encouraging continuous learning, knowledge acquisition, and self-development.
Emirati women play an active role in supporting the national economy by taking on a variety of public sector roles. Women’s presence is not confined to a particular sector, and today, women are important figures in the police, army, aviation, energy, petroleum, and healthcare sectors, among other key fields.
Women in the workforce are important sources of knowledge transfer to the new generations, especially young people just joining the job market who must be armed with professional knowledge to play their own roles in society.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is keen to develop a spirit of teamwork among women in the UAE to transfer knowledge and experience from one generation to another smoothly and easily. Her Highness also encourages collaboration between men and women in all fields, as advanced societies only rise through the cooperation and the participation of all, Her Excellency said. “Success is a collective process, and no one can succeed alone,” she added.
“The successes of Emirati women did not come out of nowhere, but are a translation of the vision of the wise leadership, starting from the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Now, thanks to the guidance and patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister of the Presidential Court. These achievements have empowered women, who now represent 50% of the Federal National Council, constituting the highest representation of women in any parliament. The federal government also includes nine female ministers,” Her Excellency Al Shamsi said.
She also detailed numerous strategic plans directed by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, which promote a culture of creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship among women, strengthening their role in the private sector, maintaining the sustainability of their businesses, establishing comprehensive and innovative business incubators, and regulating the practices of women who work within home licenses, among other initiatives.
Emirati women have proven their role in building society and achieving the nation’s sustainable development gains over the past several decades. Now, women are participating in developing plans for the next fifty years of the country’s journey, designing, along with their male counterparts, a roadmap towards a promising future for the coming generations, Her Excellency said.
Expressing her gratitude to Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, who led and empowered the daughters of the UAE, Her Excellency said, “The vision of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is a fundamental pillar in the development of women in the UAE. This vision has been reflected in the development of plans and strategies to ensure that the goals aimed at empowering women and activating their role in all fields are achieved, whether locally, regionally, or internationally.”
Her Excellency also noted the key role women pay in the country’s financial and business sectors, stating that “women occupy 15% of the seats in the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in the country, and women-owned companies contribute 10% to the total value of the private sector”.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak has also encouraged women’s participation in financial markets, making them a strong presence in the nation’s stock market, Her Excellency noted. There are approximately a quarter of a million women Emirati investors in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, who own around 3.5 billion shares with a market value of approximately Dh20 billion, she said.
