UAE tops worldwide rankings for female parliamentary representation

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, congratulated the UAE’s leadership for the country’s No.1 global ranking in the female parliamentary representation index of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020, issued by the World Competitiveness Centre of the World Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Sheikha Manal also extended her congratulations to the Mother of the Nation Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), on this achievement.

She praised Her Highness’ support for Emirati women through initiatives and programmes aimed at advancing their roles across social, educational, and professional spheres. The UAE’s latest ranking reflects global recognition of the country’s gender balance achievements, she noted.

Sheikha Manal said: "Gender balance was among the principles on which the UAE was founded nearly five decades ago, stemming from the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan’s belief that women are equal partners in achieving sustainable development. Today, we reap the fruits of this vision - which our leadership instilled through various legislations, initiatives, and programmes - leading to the establishment of gender balance across all sectors.”

The President of the UAE Gender Balance Council expressed her pride in the UAE’s top ranking, saying this was made possible by the UAE leadership’s confidence in the integral role played by women in achieving prosperity in the country.

Sheikha Manal added that the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, issued in December 2018, to raise Emirati women’s parliamentary representation in the Federal National Council (FNC) to 50% was a historic step that motivated women to stand for election, in turn enhancing their roles as vital contributors and decision makers in government.

Sheikha Manal stated: "Since the launch of the UAE Gender Balance Council in 2015, we have taken all the necessary steps to enhance the UAE's position in global competitiveness reports and to establish our nation as a regional and global model for gender balance legislation.”

She further said: "Through the Council’s efforts and the cooperation of all UAE private and public institutions, we will double our efforts to further establish the UAE as a pioneer in the field of gender balance. We are currently working on the Council’s future strategy, which is linked to the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years. We want to maintain the momentum for progress and strive to be the world's leading nation by the UAE’s Centennial in 2071. The strategy will focus on exploring new heights that take us from bridging gaps and adopting best practices to being a global reference for gender balance.”