Celebrating International Women in Diplomacy Day, which falls on June 24th every year, is an opportunity to talk about the UAE’s efforts to empower women in this vital field, which is of great importance to our wise leadership, represented by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. President of the State, may God protect him. Statistics indicate that the percentage of female employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is about 49.5%, and women constitute about 60% of the graduates of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy.
In this regard, it must be emphasized that women are one of the basic pillars of political and diplomatic life in the UAE, and His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, participated in 2014 in launching the “He for Her” solidarity campaign organized by the United Nations. For women, he is the first Arab foreign minister to sign this campaign that aims to involve men as advocates and workers in order to bring about change in efforts to achieve gender equality.
The efforts made to empower women in the field of diplomatic work fall within the efforts made by the state continuously to activate the role of women in all areas of public life, and to increase their share of the workforce, as women occupy about 66% of public sector jobs, which is one of the highest percentages in the world. Including 30% of senior leadership positions related to decision-making roles, and women in the UAE occupy about 75% of the workforce in the education and health sectors.
The UAE’s efforts to empower women in the field of diplomatic work are not limited to the internal sphere only, as the country is making many efforts to support women in this field at the international level. Here it is worth noting that the UAE has supported the United Nations Women since its establishment in 2010 and provided It has about 26 million US dollars to support efforts aimed at promoting gender equality.
There is no doubt that the empowerment of women in the UAE has come as a result of many initiatives, strategies and integrated efforts, and there are important signs in this context, the most prominent of which is the UAE government issuing in December 2012 a decision requiring the presence of Emirati women on the boards of directors of federal bodies and companies. And private institutions, and the government established in May 2015 the “Emirates Council for Gender Balance” to ensure that Emirati women continue to play a leading role in the country’s development. The Council undertakes several tasks, including reviewing legislation, policies and programs to achieve gender balance in the workplace.
Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation “Mother of the Nation”, plays a vital role in empowering Emirati women and activating their participation in the sustainable development process.
Her Highness is credited with many of the achievements that women have achieved in all areas of public life. In this context, it can be noted that Her Highness launched, on March 8, 2015, the National Strategy for the Empowerment of Emirati Women, on the occasion of International Women’s Day. This strategy provides a framework for the government, the private sector, and civil society organizations to develop plans. It makes the UAE among the most advanced countries in the field of women’s empowerment.
The UAE’s distinguished experience in empowering women has received many international praises and is highlighted by many reliable international reports, the most recent of which is the Annual Global Competitiveness Report 2024, where the UAE ranked second in the indicator of the percentage of women’s representation in Parliament.
The UAE’s experience in supporting women in the field of diplomatic work and activating their participation in all areas of public life constitutes an inspiring model, and there is no doubt that this major role that Emirati women have begun to play in the process of sustainable development would not have been achieved without the firm belief of our wise leadership in the importance of their participation as a basic pillar. Along with men to achieve our major development ambitions.
*Issued by the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research.
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