The third annual Emirati Women’s Day, a national celebration to recognise the contribution of the nation’s women in developing and advancing the country, will be held August 28.
Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, chose the date, which also marks the anniversary of the General Women's Union, which was founded August 28, 1975.
“The first celebration was in the year 2015, and in light of this occasion, the UAE people celebrated the great path of the late founder, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who established the foundations of wise leadership and what this country has achieved, where women were fortunate to bear the fruits of its renaissance," said Sheikha Fatima. “There has been continuous attention to and advancement in the role of women, under the support of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, especially in the recent years, where women’s issues across all areas and sectors have become a top priority for developmental policies."
The country's vision involves implementing policies and programmes for the advancement of women, as part of the national agenda to give importance to women’s education.
The number of women in schools today exceeds the number of men, and 65 per cent of the university graduates in the UAE are women.
Emirati women now occupy 66 per cent of government jobs, including 30 per cent of senior decision-making positions and 15 per cent of specialised academic posts.
Women's contribution to economic activity and the labour market has steadily increased since the establishment of the UAE Businesswomen's Council with around 23,000 businesswomen working in the local and global market and running projects worth over Dh50 billion.
This excludes the number of women working in banking, making up about 37.5 per cent of its working force.
Eight of the UAE’s 29 ministerial portfolios are led by women.
In an unprecedented historical achievement at the local and regional level, Dr Amal Al Qubaisi was elected the Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), the first woman to head a parliamentary institution at the regional level.
The number of women participating in the 16th legislative term of the FNC elections made up 38.94 per cent of the candidates. A total of nine women were elected, which made up 22.5 per cent of the total 40 members.
In addition to the seven women ambassadors and consuls in Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Milan, Kosovo, Hong Kong and the Republic of Montenegro out of the 157 diplomats, 42 women were working in diplomatic missions, demonstrating their exceptional work in air defence and civil aviation, military, judiciary, public prosecution, education and other units of the Ministry of Interior.
