Page 380 - Ministry of Economy - December 2017

12/25/2017 Jawaher Al Qasimi Takes the Agenda of Advancing Emirati Women in Economy a Step Ahead | Sharjah24

leading comp anies and organisations, or governme nt and semi - governme nt agencies. This is simp ly because the right
statistics representing wome n in the economic sector is instrume ntal for drafting appropriate legislations. The availabilit y of
such informat ion also gives a mo re comp rehensive picture about sectors to focus on in the economi c emp owerme nt of
”.wome n, especially in the private sector

The panel spoke about licences and other comp etitive advantages that would increase wome n’s participation in the economy ,
and stressed on non-traditional sectors like artificial intelligence, construction, oil and gas, environme nt and others, which still
.remai n quite inaccessible to wome n

Upon being asked about the opportunities and challenges faced by local wome n, HE Khawla Al Mulla, Chair woma n, The
Sharjah Consultative Council, said: UAE’s vision didn’t come overnight. It’s the fruit of hard work by generations led by our

founding father, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. We have big aspirations for our wome n, but we need laws and
legislations in place as they are the first step towards grabbing the right opportunities. We do have laws but how and to what
extent they are enforced is the challenge. The refugees in the region, for examp le, especially wome n and children, are
suffering despite laws that are supposed to protect their basic huma n rights. We need to look beyond what is apparent on the
.surface; we need to dig deeper if we were to ma ke a real imp act

Stressing on the need for the right legislations to put theor y into practice, she me ntioned the recent decree on the
establishme nt of the Sharjah Social Securit y Fund (SSSF) that has been issued by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin
Mohame d Al Qasimi , Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. The fund aims to acquire a legislative frame work that
.emb odies social securit y, comf ort and dignified living for both local and expatriate fami lies living in Sharjah

Simi larly, we can’t have human advanceme nt or wome n’s advanceme nt without binding legislations that are enforced in a“
.transparent and accountable fashion,” Al Mulla noted

Highlighting the need for Emi rati wome n to be mo re aware of their rights and of the laws that safeguard their interests, Afra
Al Basti, DG of Dubai Council for Wome n and Children and Memb er is the Federal National Council, added: I will tell you
honestly that we can’t emp ower wome n just by emp athy or kind words. They need to be supported by legislations and
.actionable steps. If a woman doesn’t own half the house she lives in, she could be kicked out in the mi ddle of the night

Emp owerme nt is as mu ch a personal responsibilit y of a woma n, as it is of external agents that support her cause. She owes it“
to herself to break the culture of silence at home as well as at work. Needless to say, the cost that the UAE has to pay as a
result of a woman who is a victim of violence and discrimi nation is huge. Each individual is a valuable huma n resource, and
”.the loss of even one individual shouldn’t be undermi ned as each one’s contributions are vital to the growth of the nation

Samah Al Hajeri, Director of Industrial Policies Departme nt, Ministr y of Economy , said: “The Emi rati woma n has reached
advanced stages in the nation’s economy today. Some years ago, Wome n were not allowed to work in specific doma ins. I have

worked in the oil and gas sector, which is ma le-domi nated. The UAE Gender Balance Council has been created to bridge this
.gap

The mi ddle man ageme nt in man y comp anies still faces challenges, especially in technical, non-traditional doma ins. Wome n“
in the UAE have proven they can work in AI, engineering, etc. the ADNOC oil field will be comp letely ma naged by wome n,

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