Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, (DWE) and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, has confirmed that the active participation of Emirati women in the next Federal National Council (FNC) elections, is a national duty that must be fulfilled by each and every woman seeking to positively contribute to the UAE prosperity and growth.

She encouraged UAE national women to fulfil their potential as key contributors to the nation-building; "thereby brining to fruition the noble efforts and unwavering support of our wise leadership to create a supportive environment, and provide all the necessary elements enabling them to participate in playing an important role in achieving UAE's growth."

Addressing a session organised by National Election Committee (NEC) in cooperation with DWE, Sheikha Manal expressed her appreciation for H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, and Chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, being a foremost supporter for enhancing the role of UAE national women in the society.

She extended her heartfelt gratitude to President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his wise leadership and vision that contributes to exceptional achievements, citing the empowerment of women to hold several ministerial positions, including becoming members of the FNC and work in both diplomatic and judicial sectors.

Sheikha Manal also thanked Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who said that the UAE spares no efforts in creating a supportive environment for women, and provide all the necessary elements to enable them to participate in playing an important role in achieving UAE's growth and consolidating the nation's progress.

"As part of its proven track record of significant achievements, the FNC attaches great importance to women's empowerment issues, enabling them to play an important role in serving the community, increasing their presence in various business sectors, as well as legislative and executive institutions, and holding decision-making positions. This is the reason why we all hope that the women's participation in the current legislative session increases so as to support their role as active partners in the political life", she added.

Sheikha Manal noted, "Through their FNC membership, Emirati women succeeded in holding several leading positions such as the First Deputy Chairman of the Council, and presided over a number of permanent and interim committees. They also played an influential role through their participation in regional and international conferences. This is the reason why we must continue to exert efforts in order to increase the number of UAE national women in the FNC, which promotes their political participation and opens up new horizons. I would like to take this opportunity call on women to run for the FNC's elections in order to achieve our aspirations and desired goals, and increase the political and economic participation."

She said that the efforts made by the UAE over the past period to achieve gender balance have paid off. In this respect the UAE ranked the first globally in 'Closing the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment - Higher Education. Regionally, it was the first in reducing the gender gap, according to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index.; thereby indicating an almost complete equality between genders in terms of educational attainment as well as provision of healthcare services.

For his part, Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the NEC, expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to Dubai Women Establishment, under the leadership of its President, H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, for all the remarkable achievements they have made in the promotion of active participation of UAE women in the development process.

He also confirmed that UAE national women have played a major role and contributed to the success of the FNC's electoral process. Hence, raising political awareness among women, as well as enabling and encouraging them to play leadership roles and exercise their right to participate in the electoral process will always remain a common responsibility.

Dr. Gargash pointed out that the UAE has paved the way for women's empowerment through their involvement in decision-making processes, which enabled them to attain advanced positions according to the results of several reports and studies. In this respect, as stated in the 2014 annual report of the Arab Women Studies Centre, affiliated to the Arab Women Foundation, UAE women were ranked first in terms of leadership and parliamentary empowerment.

He explained that the existence of an electoral culture is based on the necessity of women's participation in electing and selecting individuals who tackle the citizens' concerns, thus ensures their wellbeing. "This is a remarkable step intended to instil a political development culture among the community members."

He also noted that the UAE national women constitute a development pillar, hence their participation in the elections contributes to strengthening the political participatory approach that has been adopted by the wise leadership.

Dr. Gargash pointed out that through their membership in the Federal National Council, UAE national women represent their families and the entire community, and are considered a major element contributing to the formulation and discussion of legislation and laws affecting all UAE citizens, such as the Child Rights Law that has been discussed and approved by the Council in Legislative Chapter XV.

He also praised the effective activities of the Dubai Women Establishment, being one of the most important civil society institutions, specialised in women's affairs, and aims at providing services that meet women's needs so as to activate their roles at both personal and professional levels.

During the welcome speech delivered by Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, at the gathering; Saleh explained that raising the percentage of women's political participation and representation in the FNC reflects one of the main objectives of the Establishment, which is to increase the number of capable women in the decision-making positions.

Saleh expressed thanks for the confidence and trust bestowed by the leadership regarding the role of Emirati women in nation building; and their steadfast support in ensuring the women are given equal opportunities on equal footing with men to reach leadership positions.

The session roused immense interaction from the attendees, who included several women leaders from the public and private sectors and a number of political, diplomatic and economic figures; most notably Tariq Hilal Lootah, Under-secretary of the Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs and Chairman of the Election Management Committee, Mohammed Juma'a Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of Supreme Legislation Committee Dubai, Nabila Makram, Deputy Consul General of The General Consulate of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Dubai, Eng. Mahmood Al Bastaki, CEO of Dubai Trade, Jamal Al Sharif, Chairman of Dubai Film and TV Commission and Managing Director of Dubai Media City and Dubai Studio City, as well as DWE Board Members - Lubna Qassim, Executive Vice President, Group Company Secretary and General Counsel of Emirates NBD, and Muna Bu Samra, Director of Dubai Press Club.

As the date of submission of candidacy requests is getting closer, the National Election Commission seeks to provide all facilities, enabling citizens to actively participate in the electoral process. The Committee will start receiving applications starting 16th August to 20th August, 2015.
Source: WAM