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Mohammed attends Arab Women's Leadership Forum
12 January 2010
UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attended the opening session of the second Arab Women's Leadership Forum at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Dubai today.
The forum is being organised by the Dubai Women's Establishment (DWE), under the supervision of wife of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and DWE President Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Sheikh Mohammed was welcomed by Chairperson of the DWE Mona Al Marri to the event, which sees the participation of over 400 Arab women from wide-ranging backgrounds, including the academic, economic and health sectors.
Delivering the opening address on behalf of the DWE members and board of directors, Al Marri expressed her deep gratitude for Sheikh Mohammed's support of women in the UAE and beyond. She went on to speak about his various initiatives to encourage women to participate in national decision-making, noting that women constitute more than a quarter of the workforce at government institutions.
Throughout the opening session, Sheikh Mohammed listened to the problems women face in the Arab world, in addition to proposed solutions to advance female causes and activate their role in the community. Among the strategies to bring about social and economic stability for women, was an initiative to introduce child-care facilities at various government organisations and ministries.
Towards the end of the session, Sheikh Mohammed expressed his pleasure with the large and diversified female assembly, calling on governments and decision-makers in Arab countries to support their goals. He also praised Sheikha Manal's efforts to make progress for women in the UAE and other Arab countries.
After giving his full backing to the establishment's programmes and initiatives, Sheikh Mohammed praised the efforts of the board of directors and members, and urged them to translate their ideas into concrete action on the ground.