UAE celebrates International Women's Day
The UAE is celebrating International Women's Day, as the nation continues its journey of empowering Emirati women at "full speed," achieving milestones that enhance the country's sustainable development path.
Women's issues hold a top priority in the vision of the UAE's leadership, which views women as essential and influential partners in addressing challenges and achieving comprehensive development.
Emirati women have played a fundamental role in the country's major achievements over the past year and this year across various fields. The UAE advanced to the seventh position globally and retained the top rank regionally in the 2024 Gender Inequality Index (GII) issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The UAE has also enhanced women's representation in the government structure with the appointment of Sana bint Mohammed Suhail as Minister of Family, following the recent establishment of the Ministry of Family.
Another landmark achievement in women's rights advancement was the introduction of the National Policy for the Promotion of Women's Health which aimed at ensuring the highest levels of preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative healthcare services for women throughout their lives in the UAE.
The country has continued to strengthen women's role in sustainable economic development. The Ministry of Economy issued a ministerial decision requiring that at least one seat on the boards of directors of private joint-stock companies be allocated to women after the end of the current board terms.
Additionally, the Ministry of Economy and the General Women's Union signed a cooperation agreement to enhance communication and unify efforts in women's economic empowerment, furthering the UAE's role as a global model for women's advancement.
The General Women's Union also launched the second cohort of the Women's Economic Empowerment Programme, which targets young women and aspiring female entrepreneurs, as well as owners of existing businesses seeking to develop their projects.
Since the UAE's founding, Emirati women have witnessed significant historical transformations, including: increased representation in the Cabinet; holding half of the seats in the Federal National Council; advancing globally in gender balance rankings; equal pay with men; strengthening their presence in business and sciences; participation in key strategic sectors such as space and clean energy; the option to join national service voluntarily; appointment of the first female judge in the UAE; and appointment of the first two female prosecutors in the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
This year's International Women's Day comes as the UAE continues to launch initiatives, programmes, and plans to advance women's status in many societies, leveraging its pioneering experience, which has garnered global recognition.
The UAE's efforts have played a decisive role in adopting several historic international initiatives and resolutions, with one of the most notable being the United Nations Human Rights Council's resolution on ensuring equal access to education for all girls, co-authored by the UAE and the United Kingdom in October 2023.
The UAE has held membership in the Executive Board of UN Women for two terms: 2013-2019 and 2023-2025, serving as Presidency of the Executive Board in 2017. It has also contributed more than $46 million (AED 168 million) in voluntary funding to UN Women, solidifying its position as one of the largest global donors and the leading contributor in the region.
Furthermore, women's empowerment in peace and security has been a top priority for the UAE during its 2022-2023 tenure on the UN Security Council. The country has made women's participation in conflict prevention, resolution, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding a cornerstone of its foreign policy.
In 2019, the UAE, in partnership with UN Women, launched the Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Initiative for Women, Peace, and Security, which has since graduated hundreds of female cadets from the Arab region, Africa, and Asia to enhance women's full, equal, and effective participation in the security sector.
The UAE has also joined several international conventions focused on women's rights and protection, including: The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 2004. The Hours of Work (Industry) Convention in 1982. The Forced Labour Convention in 1982. The Labour Inspection Convention in 1982.
These efforts reaffirm the UAE's commitment to women's empowerment, ensuring that its achievements not only uplift Emirati women but also inspire and positively impact women worldwide.
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