The Ministry of Gender, Family and Social Services, as part of a collaborative initiative with the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Male’ and the UAE Gender Balance Council, held a virtual session on “Women and Girl’s Empowerment and Protection Efforts in United Arab Emirates and the Republic of Maldives” on 13 December 2021. A multitude of government agencies, non-governmental organizations and international partners joined this webinar, where high-level representatives from the Ministry, the UAE Embassy and the UAE Gender Balance Council delivered remarks.
In her opening remarks, Her Excellency Heba Aljneibi, Charge’d’Affaires of the UAE Embassy, noted the achievements attained by UAE in empowering women. She highlighted that the UAE has one of the highest proportions of women in ministerial positions in the Middle East and that, per IMF rankings in 2020, the UAE ranked first in the female parliamentary representation index. She also noted that Emirati women are at the forefront of development in the UAE, with women playing an integral role in several key projects in the sectors of advanced science, space, energy and health.
Her Excellency Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) and the Secretary General of the UAE Gender Balance Council, delivered a presentation on the role of the UAE Gender Balance Council and the successes to date. She noted that the UAE has established a strong legal framework and policies to achieve gender equality and for empowerment of women, including the establishment of a 50% quota for parliamentary seats for Emirati women.
Her Excellency Fazna Shakir, the Minister of State for Gender, Family and Social Services of the Maldives, highlighted the Maldivian government’s continual effort to ensure women and girls’ empowerment and protection. She stated that the government has brought upon legislative changes to extend protection to women and girls, through the Child Rights and Protection Act and the recent amendment to the Sexual Offences Act, noting that further work to strengthen the legal framework is underway with the Domestic Violence Prevention Act currently under review. She also remarked on the progress made regarding women’s participation in public life, such as the establishment 33% quota for the local councils. Noting that the government aims to introduce more measures to promote gender mainstreaming, she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensure women and girls’ empowerment and protection.
The webinar concluded with a panel discussion partaken by Her Excellency Shamsa Saleh and Her Excellency. Fazna Shakir, along with Ms. Aminath Rishmee Amir, Director General of Child and Family Protection Services, Ms. Aisha Ibrahim, Senior Social Service Officer of Family Protection Authority, and Mr Ahmed Anwar, Chairperson of Hope for Women. This webinar facilitated a fruitful dialogue on good practices to further women and girls’ empowerment and protection, as well as current successes and challenges in achieving these goals in both the Maldives and the UAE.
16 December 2021