“I believe that constructing a modern state requires women’s efforts,” said Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates [UAE].
The country has been an advocate of women’s empowerment, and has long been praised for its dedication and enthusiasm to the advancement of gender equality. As International Women’s Equality Day approaches, MOJEH looks to how the UAE’s constitution eagerly supports impartiality between men and women as a basic fundamental right.
Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, in particular, alongside the country’s president, has highlighted the country’s women’s many accomplishments and has consistently pushed for the universal education of both men and women.
Impressively, in 2017, 95 per cent of girls enrol in higher education, while women fill two-thirds of the UAE’s public-sector posts, with 30 per cent holding positions at a senior or management level. They also make up 20 per cent of the diplomatic corps, and there are several women ambassadors.
The highly-publicised appointment of Lana Nusseibeh as a permanent representative of the UAE to the United Nations [UN] in New York in September 2013 was a milestone moment, making her the first woman permanent representative. She works to advance the country’s multilateral priorities at the UN, and is particularly interested in regional peace and security issues, as well as sustainable development and human rights.
Of course, there’s always more to be done. However it would seem, in 2017, that being a woman in the UAE is, by and large, a very good thing.
