Business & Money | Monday 10 October, 2016 4:00 pm |

The Organising Committee of the 2nd edition of ‘Investing in the Future’ (IIFMENA) conference has announced its partnership with the Arab League for the incorporation of Arab women's issues within the region’s developmental plans and policies of the highest priority. 

 

Hosted in Sharjah on 19 and 20 October 2016, IIFMENA will be organised by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a Sharjah-based international humanitarian body under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and His Wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation and Chairperson of the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA); in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

 

Through this partnership, the Organising Committee of the conference seeks to build on its previous collaborations with the Arab League in its previous edition. This collaboration is aimed at lobbying regional and international support to reinforce Sharjah's efforts to empower Arab women and enhance their capabilities in all domains.  It also aims to promote public awareness about Arab women's issues in economic, social, cultural, media-related and legal aspects, as well as support joint cooperation, sharing best practices and innovative approaches to establish gender equality and women’s empowerment.

 

HE Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, Secretary General of the Arab League, said: "International bodies and agencies as well as civil society organisations are actively involved in the issue of gender equality due to everyone's belief that no human progress can be achieved without bridging the gender gap and women's engagement in public life."

 

"We, at the Arab League, strongly believe in the issue of women's empowerment and the importance of their active participation in development and decision making. Ensuing equal opportunities for women and men key to human and economic development," the Secretary General added.

 

He went on to add, "The UAE has effectively executed its vision for women's empowerment with the wisdom of the Emirati leadership opening doors for women to hold the highest constitutional and administrative posts in the country. This can be seen in the election of HE Dr Amal Al Qubaisi as the President and Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), making history by becoming the first woman in the Arab world to head a parliamentary institution."

 

He observed that the Arab League's partnership with the IIFMENA Conference is a reflection of the unified goals and vision of the two entities, and their appreciation of Sharjah's relentless efforts to advance the status of Arab women, ensuring a better future for them.

 

Mariam al Hammadi, Director of Salam Ya Seghar, an initiative from TBHF said; "We launched our partnership with the Arab League under the guidance and leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation and Chairperson of NAMA. This partnership has its roots in our belief that women's empowerment requires collaborative efforts and through it, we seek to establish an integrated framework involving a package of policies, laws, measures and programmes that will contribute to enhancing Arab women's roles in all domains."

 

Enas Makkawi, Director of Women, Family and Children's Department at the Arab League, pointed out, "Through this partnership, we look forward to integrating local efforts with international activities, increasing the Arab–foreign coordination for formulating a unified vision for Arab women's issues at regional and international forums."

 

"We believe in the need to strengthen joint Arab efforts in all issues that concern sisterly Arab countries, with the agenda of women's empowerment being given top priority. Recognising and training Arab women as invaluable human capital is necessary to achieve growth and development in the Arab world," she emphasised.

 

Makkawi stated that this partnership will see the launch of a series of initiatives and programmes aiming at incorporating Arab women within various women-centric programmes and projects. Diagnosing problems that hinder women's empowerment and engagement in the development process, the partnership will create and strengthen important roles for Arab women in economic, social and political activities; as producers and decision makers, leading to sustainable development.      

 

IIFMENA and Arab League have a history of fruitful collaborations. The ‘Sharjah Principles’ – aimed at providing protection and a dignified life to refugee children and adolescents worldwide, which were announced while concluding the ‘Investing in the Future: Protecting Refugee Children and Adolescents in the Middle East and North Africa (IIFMENA) Conference’, hosted by Sharjah and UNHCR in mid-October, 2014 were added to the Arab League Childhood Committee’s 13th meeting’s agenda, which was held in January 2016 in Egypt’s Sharm El Sheikh.  

 

The 2nd edition of the two-day IIFMENA conference aims to highlight the need to incorporate women and young girls into decision making, paying attention to their rights to education, skills training and employment, ensuring access to resources, particularly for female-led households suffering restrictions in several countries.

 

IIFMENA seeks to recognise women as agents for change; forces that contribute to peace and economic development. It strives to coordinate peacebuilding efforts, and achieve gender equality as an integral part of all developmental plans, policies and programmes aiming at empowering women and young girls. The conference also aims to support female refugees and displaced women, following up on the actions that aim to meet their needs, bringing them justice ensuring their rights.

 

Participants interested in registering for the second Investing in the Future conference should submit their applications via www.iifmena.org before mid- October.