A historical win for Emirati women.
HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, ruler of the UAE, has passed a new law which will allow women to occupy 50 percent of the country’s Federal National Council in next year’s election.
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The new decree was announced through a tweet from the UAE government.
As directed by UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in a step to further empower Emirati women and bolster their contributions to development, women’s representation in the National Federal Council will be raised to 50%, starting next round. #UAEGov
— UAEGov (@uaegov) December 8, 2018
HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai also took to Twitter to voice his support for the new law .
The Presidential decree allocating 50% of the seats in the Federal National Council to women is a great leap forwards in cementing the legislative and parliamentary role of women in our nation’s development.
Women are half of our society: they should be represented as such.
— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) December 8, 2018
The FNC is made up of 40 members representing the country’s population through each emirate. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four. Currently, women occupy 8 of the 40 seats.
The role of the FNC is to bring issues concerning Emirati citizens to the council for debate. Their function also includes passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
This law is set to place the UAE among the countries with the most female cabinet members, surpassing the UK and USA, where women make up about 32 per cent and 19 per cent of Parliament and Congress respectively, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Media: Getty, Twitter
