UAE Gender Balance Council reviews preparations for world’s first Gender

H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister of the UAE and Minister of Presidential Affairs, commended the exceptional efforts of the Council team and its members for their key regional and international achievements.

Some of these included the development of the world's first Gender Balance Guide for the workplace, which will be officially launched tomorrow (Tuesday, 19th September). The guide will serve as a comprehensive resource that will help the public and private entities in the UAE to enhance the gender balance in the workplace. The Gender Balance Guide is expected to play an instrumental role in enhancing the UAE's ranking in global competitiveness reports.

Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed commended the positive results achieved by the federal government, which reflected the leadership’s commitment to gender issues, ensuring equal opportunities and creating a conducive work environment for both women and men. She added that the winners would be announced and honoured immediately after the approval of the results by the Cabinet. Sheikha Manal expressed her gratitude to all the government agencies that participated in the index. She also stressed the importance of programmes and initiatives that support gender balance in the workplace, which is a key priority and an integral part of the National Agenda and the UAE Vision 2021.

Chaired by Council Vice President Mona Ghanem Al Marri, the third meeting started with Al Marri conveying the greetings and thanks of Sheikha Manal to the Council’s members and the team for their outstanding efforts. In her message, HH reiterated the Council’s commitment to continue its efforts through co-operation with the local and international stakeholders. In line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the Council is making concerted efforts to strengthen the UAE’s position and improve its international ranking in the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Gender Inequality Index by 2021.

The UAE Gender Balance Council members reviewed the preparations for the official launch of the guide. The guide was developed in co-operation with the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and in partnership with various government agencies. The initiative is in line with the directives of Sheikha Manal to work closely and exchange the best practices and ideas with prominent international organisations that have unique expertise in gender balance.

The meeting discussed several topics related to the planned projects, and the initiatives aimed to position the UAE as a global model in gender balance and a regional benchmark in terms of legislation. Over the last year, the UAE has received global praise for its significant advances in the field.

A team from the Prime Minister’s Office presented the final Gender Balance Index results for federal government organisations, which were assessed using the approved gender balance measurement framework. The framework is based on three key pillars - decision-making, education and experience and work environment. The ratings provide a robust mechanism for measuring federal entities’ gender balance performance and conducting opinion polls.