H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and UAE Minister of Presidential Affairs, said that the Council aims to double its efforts in 2018 to implement the directives of Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to establish the country as a global leader in gender balance indicators by introducing further pioneering initiatives and expanding regional and global cooperation, apart from building on its latest achievements.

Her Highness congratulated Council members on the success of the first edition of the Gender Balance Index.

Winners of the 2017 Gender Balance Index in three categories, including Best Personality for Supporting Gender Balance; Best Federal Entity for Supporting Gender Balance; and Best Initiative for Supporting Gender Balance; were recently honoured by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Her Highness said that the UAE leadership’s continuous support for enhancing gender balance, along with the success of the Gender Balance Index, which was received positively by government entities, motivates the UAE Gender Balance Council to strengthen its efforts to achieve its goals of narrowing the gender gap across all sectors and implementing the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed to establish the UAE as a leader in international gender balance indicators.