UAE Gender Balance Council, IMF host second 'Global Gender Circle'

The UAE Gender Balance Council, in co-ordination with the Ministry of Finance, recently held the second edition in its series of Global Gender Circle sessions, in Washington D.C.

The meeting was hosted by the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and focused on ‘Gender Responsive Budgeting.’ H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, said, "As part of the Global Gender Circle’s initiative that we launched in March this year, with the goal of accelerating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 - ‘Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls,’ we were pleased to host the second edition of the series with the IMF."

The aim of the meeting was to exchange expertise and opinions, and identify the best international standards and practices in implementing gender-responsive budgeting, as well as the enabling factors which contribute to its effectiveness and success in narrowing the gender gap, Sheikha Manal explained, adding, "We are proud to be working with the IMF, which has extensive experience in implementing gender-responsive budgeting across a number of member countries.

"This initiative reflects our deep commitment to strengthening co-operation and partnerships with international organisations and entities that have specialist expertise in this field. It also fosters dialogue regarding the best international gender policies and practices, supporting the goals set out by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to the UAE Gender Balance Council at the time of its establishment. These objectives include narrowing the gender gap across all sectors, as well as establishing the UAE as one of the top countries for gender balance, and as a global leader in gender balance legislation," she added.

She also highlighted the importance of continuing to drive the UAE’s gender balance progress forward, and create environments that support the success of Emirati women in all fields and their contribution to sustainable social and economic development.

Chaired by Mona Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, the second Global Gender Circle was attended by 15 IMF experts and consultants. Al Marri opened the meeting by welcoming all attendees, and underlined the UAE Gender Balance Council’s objectives through this initiative, to provide a platform for international thought leaders and experts to discuss gender balance-related matters and work towards closing the gender gap through innovative ideas and practical solutions that lead to positive change.

Al Marri added that the Global Gender Circle is one of the critical international initiatives launched by the UAE Gender Balance Council. She then introduced the Council, which was formed to enhance the UAE’s position in global reports, achieve gender balance in decision-making roles, and position the country as a role model in gender balance.

She also discussed the strong level of support that Emirati women have received from the UAE’s wise leadership since the country’s establishment in 1971, stressing that the UAE constitution guarantees equal rights to both men and women. The UAE has always maintained a focus on empowering women across all sectors and enhancing their role in the development process, particularly in leadership positions.

Al Marri said that thanks to this support, women in the UAE today represent 46.6 percent of the workforce and 66 percent of public sector workers 30 percent of which are in leadership roles, 29 percent are ministers and 20 percent occupy seats in the Federal National Council. The UAE is also the first country in the Arab region to require a mandatory female presence in boardrooms, which was introduced in 2012. Additionally, around 23,000 women in the UAE own investments that are worth over AED50 billion, while women run 10 percent of private sector firms.

Commenting on the outcome of the meeting, Al Marri said, "The second Global Gender Circle provided a platform to explore successful global case studies and gain insights to help us establish the UAE as a role model for gender balance, regionally and internationally, through our collaboration with the IMF."