Manal bint Mohammed: Pioneering achievements of Emirati women in 2020 raised the UAE’s global standing

Manal bint Mohammed: Pioneering achievements of Emirati women in 2020 raised the UAE’s global standing

• The UAE’s leadership’s initiatives have made the country a global model for gender balance
• Theme of this year’s Emirati Women's Day reflects key role of women in shaping the UAE’s future
• Sheikha Manal commends Emirati women’s tireless efforts on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19 and their valuable contributions to the Emirates Mars Mission and Hope Probe

Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, praised the constant support Emirati women have received from His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai; His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; and the Rulers of the emirates.

Her Highness was speaking on the occasion of this year’s Emirati Women’s Day, which is being celebrated under the theme ‘Preparing for the Next 50 Years: Women are the Support of the Nation’. Sheikha Manal said the leadership’s support, which has resulted in various initiatives, legislations, and policies, continues to strengthen women’s active contributions in social, economic, and political spheres, and promote gender balance across various sectors. The UAE’s leadership has made the UAE a global model for gender balance, Her Highness said.

Sheikha Manal also praised the efforts of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) to support the development of Emirati and Arab women. She particularly highlighted Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s commitment to ensuring Emirati women attain the highest levels of education and occupy jobs across various fields.

Her Highness further said the theme chosen for this year’s Emirati Women’s Day reflects the leadership’s recognition of women’s key role in shaping the future of the UAE and their valuable contributions to the nation’s development over the past fifty years. She said Emirati women worked tirelessly side by side with men on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. Emirati women also made significant contributions to the UAE’s most important project to date in the space sector- the Emirates Mars Mission and the launch of the Hope Probe earlier this year. Women comprised 34% of the Hope Probe project team. Her Highness said such pioneering efforts by Emirati women have contributed to raising the UAE’s international gender balance ranking.

Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed expressed her pride in the UAE’s gender balance achievements over the past two years. She said three major global reports acknowledged the commendable strides made in gender balance by the country over the past two years including the Gender Inequality Index issued by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum, and the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020 issued by the World Competitiveness Centre of the World Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

International recognition of women’s empowerment in the UAE would not have been possible without the support of the UAE’s wise leadership, in addition to institutional efforts, such as those of the UAE Gender Balance Council, government ministries and agencies, all of which share the aim of realising the UAE’s vision for gender balance.