UAE authorities to enhance economic participation of Emirati women

DUBAI – Keeping in mind the leadership’s vision to advance gender equality and women empowerment across sectors, the Ministry of Economy and the Gender Balance Council agreed to strengthen collaboration to enhance the economic participation of women, especially in the field of entrepreneurship.

The two government bodies will establish joint teams to help boost women’s entrepreneurship in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the larger efforts being undertaken to make the UAE one of the top 25 countries in the UNDP Gender Inequality Index by 2021.

Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansoori, UAE Minister of Economy, said that empowering Emirati women is an important part of the UAE’s economic and social development plans. "Emirati women have excelled and made a strong mark in various sectors, especially in the economic fields. With a distinctive footprint in the UAE’s business sector, women occupy leading positions both at the national and regional levels. However, we must further intensify cooperation among government bodies to ensure there is even greater women’s participation in the economy, especially in the entrepreneurial and SME sectors." Al Mansoori said the cooperation between his Ministry and the Gender Balance Council aims to comprehensively reduce the gender gap across the economy. It also supports the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 and UAE Centennial 2071.

Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, Mona Al Marri, expressed her happiness at the cooperation between the Gender Balance Council and the Ministry of Economy. She said the combined efforts of the two organisations will help further raise the economic role of Emirati women, particularly in the entrepreneurial sector, a key pillar of the UAE national economy.

Al Marri said the Council, under the leadership of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is working closely with various government bodies to establish the UAE as a global role model for gender equality.

The meeting also discussed several projects and initiatives aimed at reducing the gender gap in the fields of economy, commerce and investment. These initiatives include exchanging experiences about legislations and policies related to entrepreneurship, organising training programmes for women entrepreneurs, supporting women-led SMEs and start-ups, and encouraging the private sector and business community to adopt the international best practices in gender balance.