Dubai, 28th Sept. 2009 (WAM): Under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Honorary President of Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), the conference on "Arab Women in Science and Technology" kickstarted today at the Raffles Hotel in Dubai.
The three-day conference is organised by the Arab Science & Technology Foundation (ASTF), in cooperation with the DBWC, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (ISESCO) and Etisal Event Management company. The opening ceremony was attended by UAE Minister of Education H.E. Humaid Al Qutami, DBWC Vice President Faiza Al Sayed, ASTF President Dr. Abdalla Abdelaziz Alnajjar, as well as Dr. Moza Al-Rabban, Physics Associate Professor, Qatar University and ASTF's Networks General Coordinator of Arab Women Association on Research, Development & Innovation (AWARD) and Dr. Hadi Azizzadeh, Deputy Director General, ISESCO. DBWC Vice President Faiza Al Sayed said women had proven they were up to the challenge by shouldering the responsibility the country's wise leadership assigned them to do. She noted that latest figures released by Dubai University showed that 39 per cent of female students had graduated from the technology centre during 2008-2009. In Dubai Women's College, the percentage was 55.''The government of Dubai has lent special care to technology, creating the fertileground for luring more investment and capital in line with the vision of Sheikh Mohammed,''she said, adding that Dubai strategic plan 2015 seeks to transform Dubai into a leading technological and biotechnological centre,''she added.
A select group of women scientists, scholars and specialists who occupy high positions and have vast experience, and who have had a positive impact in the economic and scientific fields, will talk about their own experiences, along with a group of scientists, scholars and specialists in the technological and scientific fields. The conference aims to identify the actual situation of scientific and technological research and the status of Arab women in this field. It will also shed light on the distinctive role played by Arab women in different scientific, technological and social fields. Moreover, it will launch a template for a virtual electronic community of Arab women working in science and technology to increase interaction among them to achieve optimum development of Arab societies. The conference, besides discussing various aspects of the current situation of Arab women, will also look into the challenges women face.Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.
