Sheikh Mohammed attended the opening of the Dubai 2024 Global Women’s Forum

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, attended the opening of the third edition of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024, which started in Dubai on Tuesday.

Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; and Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Second Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Media Council, attended the opening of the event, which brought together more than 6,000 participants, including leading international figures, ministers, senior officials and representatives from Dubai. international organizations and the private sector are all committed to advancing women’s empowerment and promoting gender balance.

Sheikh Mohammed welcomed the participants of the forum and emphasized the importance of the forum as a platform to advance dialogue on women’s empowerment and ensuring equal opportunities.

Sheikh Mohammed praised international initiatives supporting women’s empowerment and reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to advancing gender balance globally, guided by the visionary leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Sheikh Mohammed also highlighted the significant local and international contributions of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, President of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood and Supreme Head of Family Development. Foundation (FDF).

Expressing pride in the UAE’s progress in the areas of women’s empowerment and gender balance, Her Highness emphasized the country’s unwavering belief in the potential of women and its commitment to providing support that empowers them to succeed in all vital sectors.

It reaffirmed their roles as equal partners in shaping the future through talent and meaningful contributions.

First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye, Emine Erdoğan, also attended the opening ceremony; Asifa Bhutto Zardari of Pakistan; and Louise Araneta Marcos, First Lady of the Philippines.

The opening session of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024 was also attended by Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council; Sheikha Latifa Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority; Saqr Ghobash, President of the Federal National Council; Ministers, senior officials, representatives of international institutions and organizations, heads of departments and dignitaries attended.

On the occasion of the launch of the third edition of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai, Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the UAE Gender Balance Council, Chairperson of Dubai Women’s Establishment and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed, Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and President of the Presidential Court. He expressed gratitude for the support of the UAE leadership, acknowledging that global dialogue at the forum would not be possible. without their encouragement.

He emphasized the UAE’s leadership role in all sectors and its strong position in improving gender balance.

Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed also emphasized that the forum is guided by the vision of Sheikh Mohammed, who believes in the potential of women to assume important roles and responsibilities in advancing sustainable, inclusive development.

Sheikha Manal highlighted the UAE’s efforts to build effective international partnerships, with the forum serving as an important platform for success. He also reiterated the UAE’s commitment to work closely with global partners to translate agreements into tangible results, empowering women to shape the future of their communities and contribute to the country’s growth.

Sheikha Manal also thanked the leadership for their continuous support and praised the strong cooperation between the UAE Gender Balance Council and various sectors, which has contributed to the UAE’s rapid progress in global competitiveness. He noted that the UAE rose to 7th place globally and 1st place regionally in the 2024 Gender Equality Index, which is a significant improvement from 11th place in 2022 and 49th place in 2015.

Sheikh Mohammed also attended the opening speech of the First Lady of the Republic of Türkiye, Emine Erdoğan; He said it is imperative to empower women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and artificial intelligence to promote and strengthen gender equality in a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace thanks to advanced technology.

“As we move rapidly towards an uncertain future, we need a common road map more than ever. At this point, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations for 2030 provide guidance. The basis of the goals lies in the following principle: Leaving No One Behind.” he said.

However, women, who make up half of the world’s population, still lag behind with a share of around 30 percent in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields, and only 26 percent in Artificial Intelligence (AI). percentage. Men and women are like the right and left legs of a body, and one cannot progress without the other, the First Lady said, adding that “technologies without women’s involvement in the design and production processes cannot lead us to a better future.”

In this context, he said that the comprehensive work of Dubai Women’s Organization sets an example for the whole world.

“Emirati women are following in the footsteps of a visionary leader who paved the way for them many years ago. Sheikha Fatima was one of the pioneers of her time, an exemplary figure who proved how women can transform the world, starting from their own communities,” he said.

Describing the UAE as one of the most important cultural crossroads in the world, he said that the institutions established by its visionary leaders and the impact of the work they carry out have changed the lives of countless women today and become a source of courage and hope. .

“We all have different traditions, beliefs, ideologies. Our countries have different agendas. Despite all these differences, we are aware of the fact that, as humanity, we are all in the same boat, heading towards a common future.” .

Turkey’s First Lady praised Sheikh Mohammed for transforming the role of women and empowering them to succeed and rise to the top in industries.

He also praised the Mother of the Nation, Sheikha Fatima, for her pioneering efforts in showing how women can drive change and leave a lasting impact on women’s empowerment both regionally and globally.

The first lady of the Republic of Türkiye addressed global humanitarian crises, stating that more than one billion people suffer from hunger despite 1.3 billion tons of food being wasted every year.

It also highlighted the plight of more than 100 million displaced people, of whom nearly three-quarters have sought refuge in low-income countries.

He also drew attention to the humanitarian crisis that has been going on in Gaza for more than a year, and shed light on the continuing suffering of the people of Gaza in an environment where the international community applies double standards on urgent and critical issues.

In her opening speech at the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2024, Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairman and Managing Director of Dubai Women’s Organization, emphasized that the UAE’s leading position in global and regional gender balance indicators is the result of a strong foundation. A project initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and strengthened by the leadership’s unwavering belief in the potential of women.

He emphasized that Emirati women have proven themselves worthy of this trust by proudly representing the UAE on the international stage in various fields.

He also noted that the UAE, under the continuous support and encouragement of its leadership, has moved from the phase of empowerment to the phase of increasing opportunities for women in vital sectors.

He credited Sheikh Mohammed’s directives to establish the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015, chaired by Sheikha Manal, by setting a clear target to position the UAE among the top 25 countries in the Gender Inequality Index 2024 published by the United Nations Development Programme. (UNDP).

“Thanks to Sheikh Mohammed’s constant guidance, supporting legislation and policies, the UAE has become a global reference for gender balance legislation, reaching 7th place globally and 1st position regionally in this index.”

He also reiterated the UAE’s commitment to improving the status of women regionally and globally and ensuring that conditions are created that enable women to shape the future without obstacles or challenges.

He saw the forum as an important opportunity to strengthen dialogue, build partnerships and affirm the role of women in achieving prosperity.

WAM