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Last week, at the 'Future of Work: Middle East Summit' by The Economist. Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment participated as part of a panel discussion on the topic of "Empowering Women, Benefitting Business". The panel addressed the emergence of data that showed how women in the Middle East were quickly outperforming men in many areas academically and at the place of work.
Saleh was joined at the panel by Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair, CEO of Alsayedah Khadijah Bint Khawilid Businesswomen Center and H.E. Salma Ali Saif Bin Hareb, CEO, Economic Zones World and Jafza.

During the session Saleh covered crucial and vital points, further commending the UAE on empowering women, driven by wise leadership, and drew up the relationship between womens empowerment and the economies, urging progress of UAE women, not just locally, but regionally and globally, given womens high levels of academic qualifications and achievements. Despite shedding light on gaps, Saleh was confident that the future looks bright and promising for UAE women.

The UAE currently ranks highly across several globally indices. Proudly, it has ranked the first globally in 'Closing the Gender Gap in Educational Attainment - Higher Education'. Regionally, it was the first in reducing the gender gap, according to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index.
The secret to our success, said Saleh, is the vision of our wise leadership as well as their unwavering faith in women's potentials as change-makers, who have an important role to play in shaping the reality and the future of UAE women.

She continued: The legacy of our founding father lives on with our present rulers too, who have inspired a cultural shift of mind-sets rendering womens education not only acceptable, but an act of pride to see our daughters profoundly and professionally succeed.
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum continuously affirmed this reality and reiterated the importance of womens roles as allies and major contributors to the continued growth and development of the nation. He said: "We have moved beyond the phase of empowering women. Indeed, we are empowering society through women." The many acclaims of his sons and daughters - who are equally successful - serve as an example for all UAE families. Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - who is the honoured President of DWE, and is a shining testament to the many accomplishments of UAE women - was officially appointed by her father to fulfil the vision of our UAE leadership towards sustainable integration of women in all fields, particularly in decision-making roles.

Saleh continued: The legacy of our founding father lives on with our present rulers too, who have inspired a cultural shift of mind-sets, rendering womens education not only acceptable, but an act of pride to see our daughters profoundly and professionally succeed. Because of equal accessibilities to higher education, UAE women today are qualified and capable of becoming partners in the building of our nation. The need for more womens participation is not a local or regional issue, but relevant on a global level as well.

In light of the fact that 21,000 women in the UAE run investments worth over $10 billion, boosting female participation and leadership in the labour force makes economic sense. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicates that if the gender gap can be closed by one-third of its current status, the gains for the entire GCC region would rise up to $1 trillion in output, amounting to annual gains of about 6% of GDP.

Shedding light on the vital role and achievements of the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE), that had been establishment in 2006, by a mandate from His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, DWE became the first governmental body in the UAE that was dedicated to facilitate the participation of women in the workforce. DWE has been instrumental in the formation of several policies and initiatives that have empowered Emirati women with opportunities and skills to play greater roles within the UAE and the globe.

Saleh talked about the various efforts of DWE to create women-friendly work environments. To name a few, DWE has succeeded in forming the National Corporate Childcare Project (NCCP) to support working mothers, marking the first activation of regulations. This lead to higher level of female retention and low turnover rate. In 2012, DWE set up the Women in Boards Initiative to identify policy barriers restricting the participation of more women at senior executive levels and advocate changes to overcome these. In the same year, and in collaboration with Women for Sustainable Growth and MiL Institute and Lund University in Sweden, DWE launched the Women Leadership Exchange Program (WLEP), targeting senior managers from both the UAE and Sweden, to innovatively facilitate knowledge sharing on methods of sustainable and participatory leadership, rendering supportive community.

Saleh concluded by saying: Undoubtedly, UAE women are empowered, educated and highly qualified to take on roles of responsibility, especially that they are being supported by prudent policies and empowering initiatives and opportunities.
Today, UAE women are facing a crucial decision of whether or not to step up alongside their male counterparts in working for the further development of their nation.

The Future of Work Middle East Summit entitled Diversification, innovation and the shift to a knowledge economy was held at the Madinat Jumeirah Mina ASalam Hotel, Dubai, UAE, on the April 29th 2015. The Summit aimed at exploring opportunities and challenges ahead for regional governments as they work towards establishing more diversified economies and developing a highly skilled local workforce to support strategic growth.
Governments across the MENA region continue to invest heavily in local talent, innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives, yet, MENA is experiencing a youth bulge with more than 30% of the population currently between the ages of 15 and 29, and youth unemployment averages hovering around 25%. Women in the region still lag far behind their international counterparts, with fewer than 20% of adult women in paid employment.

However, there are many positive indicators given regions focus on new technologies, innovation, and education towards knowledge-based economies. The Economist Events Future of Work ME Summit will explore these issues towards meeting the ambitious goals of this dynamic region.
Attending the Summit were high-end dignitaries. Following the opening remarks of the Chair John Andrews of the Economist, was the key note address of his Excellency Sultan Bin Saeed al-Mansoori, Minister of Economy, UAE Ministry of Economy followed by the opening Keynote Address by His Royal Highness Prince Saud Bin Khalid al-Faisal, Deputy Governor for Investment Affairs, SAGIA; President, National Competitiveness Center.

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