Emirati women account for 60% of workers at Expo 2020 Dubai

Emirati women account for 60 per cent of workers at the Expo 2020 Dubai, reflecting the UAE’s vision of women’s empowerment.

The expo provides an attractive working environment for innovative Emirati women, empowering them and enabling them to benefit from their creativity, reflecting the slogan, “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future.”

Reem Bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of the Expo 2020 Office, holds the most important executive position in the expo project.

Three Emirati women also occupy the position of “Vice President,” who are Hayat Shamsaldin, Vice President for Art and Culture Affairs, and Maha Al Gergawi, Vice President for International Participants Affairs, and Aliaa Al Ali, Vice President of Schools Programme.

The expo also provides opportunities for 15 female interns from different backgrounds.

On the occasion of Emirati Women’s Day on 28th August, the Emirates News Agency, WAM, met with a number of the expo’s female employees.

Amal Al Badwawi holds a bachelor’s degree in Media and Journalism from UAE University in Al Ain and worked for eight years in marketing and communication. She joined the expo to work in the Communication Department, as well as the Strategy and Crisis Management Department.

Al Badwawi told WAM that she is working within a team to develop inspirational action plans to avert any potential risks or crises to ensure the success of the event.

Maryam Al Safran, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who joined the expo in 2017, is the Director of the Expo Schools Programme. “As an Emirati woman, I am fortunate to be part of this national project,” she stated.

Aisha Al Marzouki, a graduate of Zayed University who specialises in Environment and Sustainability Sciences, works for the Sustainability Department at the expo. She affirmed that sustainability is one of the expo’s major themes, especially in terms of construction standards.

“We are engaging the community through collaborating with schools, government and private institutions and community members so that the concept of sustainability is disseminated more widely as we aim to use Expo 2020 as a global engine for sustainability,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Pavilion, titled ‘Nature. Nurture. Future’, will pay tribute to Singapore’s journey towards growth, sustainability, and resilience.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority, URA, will lead Singapore’s participation in the Expo which will run from 20th October 2020 to 10th April 2021, coordinating with partners from the public and private sectors to realise the Singapore Pavilion.

Themed ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 Dubai will be a celebration of key global developments and achievements, offering visitors 173 days of technology, art, science, culture, creativity, food, and music.

It will provide a platform to address global challenges and foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration among its 192 participating countries and millions of visitors. The event will also be the first World Expo to be hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region and is expected to attract 25 million visits.

The Singapore Pavilion will occupy a 1,550 square-metre site within the Sustainability District of the 4.38 square-kilometre Expo 2020 site in Dubai South.

Designed to present a microcosm of the nation’s transformed landscape to visitors, the Singapore Pavilion will highlight how the country continues to strive towards livability, sustainability and resilience through innovative urban solutions. It will also serve to showcase Singapore’s strengths and expertise with the aim of creating potential business opportunities for the country.

Expo 2020 Dubai will mark Singapore’s fourth presentation at a World Expo, having also participated in 2000, 2005, and 2010. Singapore’s participation underlines its close bilateral ties with the UAE, and will facilitate further expansion of Singapore’s network in the Middle East region and will also deepen the engagement between the two countries.

Commenting on Singapore’s participation, the CEO of the URA Lim Eng Hwee said, “The Singapore Pavilion is centred on our country’s guiding ethos of sustainable growth where we can have both economic growth and a high-quality living environment.

“We invite Singapore businesses and organisations to play a part in realising the Singapore Pavilion and reach out to a global audience in the dynamic MEASA region.”

Expo 2020, the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.

Around 180 countries are expected to participate in the event, which will be the first where all the participating countries have their own pavilion. The Expo will also see participation from companies, NGOs and educational institutions.

The expo is expected to attract 25 million visits, with 70 per cent of visitors projected to come from outside the UAE. Expo 2020 Dubai and its legacy are expected to contribute Dhs122.6 billion of gross value added (GVA) to the UAE’s economy from 2013–31.

WAM