The Mother of the Nation says women have a key role to play in the development of the UAE.
She’s long been a proponent of women in the UAE, and HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s latest comments on gender balance are no less insightful.
Ahead of an Abu Dhabi conference, Sheikha Fatima has said “both men and women have important roles to play in all areas of life.”
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It’s something that has to be modelled from the very top, the Sheikha said.
“Gender balance has been achieved in all areas based on the wise leadership’s belief that the daughter of the UAE is a partner to its sons, in the process of developing the nation,” she said in a statement quoted by The National.
The Sheikha’s comments come in advance of the Gender Dimensions of International Peace and Security: Keys to Prosperity and Peace conference, which began on Monday. It’s focussed on a “review ways to unleash the potential of women as an important partner in the building of societies and their contribution to reducing conflicts and crises in war zones,” her statement continues.
Her Highness has been championing women in the UAE for decades. In 1973, she established the Abu Dhabi Women Development Association as the first women’s society in the country, and since then, she hasn’t slowed up.
Just this year, she’s started a programme to encourage women in the country to volunteer, and established a special day for Emirati children.
It looks like her leading by example is working well – Emirati women have given 600,000 hours of their time to charitable causes in the last seven years.
We’re always pleased to hear from Sheikha Fatima, in any case.
Images: Getty, Dubai Media Office
