DUBAI // Women’s rights are woven into the very foundation of the UAE, Shamma Al Mazrui, Minister of State for Youth Affairs, said on Wednesday, speaking at the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai.
“As we developed schools, universities and the other facilities of a modern nation, women were included in all this thanks to the vision of the late Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, a vision carried today by Sheikh Khalifa, our President,” she said.
“The fact that I am speaking to you today is the greatest proof of how appropriate it is that the UAE should host a conference discussing the empowerment of women, women’s rights and the role of women in the developmental process.”
Ms Al Mazrui is a 22-year-old Oxford graduate, and was elected to her Government position earlier this month as the youngest Cabinet member, and one of eight new faces.
She studied for an master’s degree in public diplomacy after winning a Rhodes scholarship and also holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from New York University Abu Dhabi.
Ms Al Mazrui also served as an intern at the UAE Embassy in Washington, DC.
She lauded the role played by the UAE leadership to encourage young men and women to excel, and said that her appointment as the youngest minister in the Cabinet changed everything for her.
“That announcement changed my life in an instant. From a private life to a public life and a huge challenge and responsibility. Nothing, as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, reminds us, is impossible in the UAE,” she said.
“I am only now starting to embark on my journey and, yes, it is a huge responsibility on these young shoulders.
“But it also shows that every one of our young men and women can afford to have dreams that touch the sky.”
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