The UAE is celebrating the 3rd Emirati Women’s Day, in recognition of the contribution of the nation's women, and their role in the sustainable development of the country.
Four decades ago, only few Emirati women had the capacity to participate in developmental efforts that began with the formation of the Union in December 1971 owing to many different factors.
Our visionary leadership has paid special attention to the participation of Emirati women in the nation’s entire development process. They realized that the sustainable development and its continuation cannot be accomplished without the real and effective participation of the entire population, especially Emirati women. They are not only the nation’s better half, but they constitute the most important half. The founding father the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan made it clear when he said that women are not only half of the society in terms of numbers, but also in terms of their participation in the responsibility of creating and nurturing new generations by providing integrated education.
We owe to the intelligent empowerment policies pursued by our wise leadership. The UAE has made the capacity building and empowerment of the human being its absolute priority providing a bunch of opportunities and promises for potential leaders. The Emirati women have become, in a few years, an essential partner in the development of the UAE. The Emirati women occupy about two thirds of government jobs and leadership positions. They have a steady and active presence in the private sector as employees and businesswomen. For example, at the Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment, the participation of Emirati women in the work force is above 55% distributed among different grades and technical and administrative specialties. They do a wonderful job in an excellent manner and enthusiasm.
The status of Emirati women today has not evolved from a vacuum; it is a logical result of a long and tiring journey of women's hard work and exceptional ability to invest the best possible opportunities. The undying commitment helped them develop their knowledge and skills and enhance their ability to participate in building and upgrading our country. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, said: "The recent heights achieved by the Emirati women have not been a sudden development, but it is the result of a long process commenced by the founding father the late, Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The role of women in achieving the sustainability is inseparable from their role in other fields. It may even be more vital. They make this role more effective by raising their children, the future generations instilling the principles of environmental protection and sustainability in their early age. The Emirati women have a high environmental awareness confirmed by the results of the "Survey on measuring the environmental awareness of women in the UAE" conducted by the UAE General Women's Union. The survey shows that 80% of the Emirati women have the high environmental knowledge and awareness.
The position and status of women in the family, be it housewives or working women, makes their role priceless leaving a greater impact on all environmental issues. Particularly, they have a big role in changing the consumption patterns, which are a priority issue at the global and national levels. We are keen to invest the capabilities, awareness and enthusiasm of Emirati women and employ them in the best possible way to achieve sustainable development in line with the vision of the UAE 2021 and the goals of the UAE 2071. We will also move from the "Empowerment of Women" stage to the "Empowerment of Society with Women". Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, tweeted last year during UAE Women’s Day: "We do not empower women, we empower society with women,”.
Similarly, we have seen in the past years a remarkable presence of Emirati women in the field of environmental work, in their capacities as leaders, employees and volunteers. As usual, they have proved their worthiness, efficiency, excellence and success in leading many social, developmental, economic and political sectors.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi said: “The empowerment policies of the UAE at various levels, including the National Strategy for the Empowerment and Leadership of Women and the National Gender Balance Index, will certainly enable Emirati women to move forward with their ambitions and aspirations to the optimum level.”
On the occasion of the celebration of UAE Women's Day, I am honored to extend my sincere congratulations and greetings to the most inspiring and influencing women the "Mother of Emirates" Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood who has chosen 28th August as the Emirati Women's Day, to celebrate the birth of the General Women's Union on 28th of August 1975.
I also express my deep respect and appreciation to all Emirati women for their efforts to develop our society and homeland and uphold our prestige at international level.