UAE's Minister of Community Development Hessabint Essa Buhumaid on Tuesday said that her government focuses on the balance between the two genders rather than on the equality, as the "balance is deeper and more comprehensive."
Speaking on "Gender Parity: the Mean for a Balanced Society," during Aqdar World Summit, Buhumaid said, "The directives of the UAE government focus on the balance between the two genders rather than on the equality, as the balance is deeper and more comprehensive."
It was the second day of the second edition of Aqdar World Summit held under the theme "Role of Human Empowerment in Developing Stable Societies: Sustainable Development" at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) in Abu Dhabi.
"Gender balance is the equal distribution of opportunities and resources between women and men. It is one of the important issues in the UAE Vision 2021, which seeks to raise the level of women's participation in society, especially in the economic sphere, by giving them equal opportunities with men in all fields to contribute to the process of comprehensive and sustainable development while taking into consideration their different needs," she said.
She further stressed that the concept of balance is not a new one for the UAE. "It is part of the culture of the people of this region for thousands of years and it is a tangible value rooted in the country's culture before even the union," she added. Buhumaid also talked about the equal rights provided to women in the Constitution of the UAE.
"The Constitution of the United Arab Emirates stipulates that women shall enjoy full rights as of men and includes provisions that affirm the principle of social equality and the full right of women to education, work, and jobs, same as men. The Constitution enshrines all that is stated by Islam regarding women's rights in regards to inheritance and ownership, which was the case before the establishment of the Union," she stated.
She also added that the leadership of the Gulf nation has been keen to establish women's economic institutions such as the Emirates Businesswomen Councils and the Businesswomen's Councils in each emirate.
"According to 3-year reports, we have 12,000 women entrepreneurs in the UAE who own over 22,000 projects, with investments exceeding 45 billion dirham. Emirati businesswomen make up about 21 per cent of all businesswomen in the GCC, and it is the highest percentage," she said.
Buhumaid further stated that statistics reflect that women hold about 66 per cent of government jobs in the country and about 37.5 per cent in the banking sector. Also, there are about 11,000 investment projects run by businesswomen, worth over $ 4 billion.
"Furthermore, women in the UAE are at the forefront of the board of directors, and are expected to be ranked first in the world very soon in light of the rise of the female component and leadership in many fields," the minister asserted.
The activities of the second day of the Summit also featured a youth circle called "The Impact of Economic Growth on Youth and Finding the Decent Job" which was attended by guests from the Ministry of Economy Youth Council.
Also, a number of workshops were organised parallel to the conference sessions including a workshop under the title "99 Dialogues with the Soul" presented by Saud Mohamed Hasan Mohamed AlHammadi, Acting Head, Department of Preaching and Counseling, and Abdulla Mohammad Ahmad Al Ansari, Director of Community Research, Awareness and Public Relations in Erada Center for Treatment and Rehab.
Another workshop "My Journey: Back to Life after Addiction" was coordinated by Ali Hassan Al Marzooqi, Health and Research Department Director of National Rehab Center, where he hosted a recovering addict and showcased the reasons for his falling for addiction and the challenges that faced him as an addict, as well as how successful the program was and how it helped him to get back to life.
Held on the sidelines of the conference, the exhibition hosted more than 50 exhibitors from the both private and government sectors from the region and the world. Visitors and participating delegates were introduced to the latest projects and solutions in the field of sustainable development and human empowerment.
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