Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit to take place in December

SHARJAH

Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and Chairperson of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, has approved the dates of the second edition of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit, WEEGS, as 10th-11th December, 2019.

The summit is organised by NAMA in collaboration with UN Women, and will be hosted in Sharjah.

The two-day event aims build on the success of the inaugural edition of WEEGS held in December 2017, and combine global efforts to ensure women’s full inclusion in all sectors, promote equal opportunities for women locally and globally, and contribute to advancing the women’s economic agenda within the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable Development.

Shaikha Jawaher has urged state entities developing policies that support women advancement to engage local communities, asserting that the sociocultural nature of the topic of women equitable access to opportunities, change needs to happen at the grass roots, beginning with the appreciation of women’s roles in socioeconomic development and respecting their fundamental rights.

“Enhancing an individual’s belonging and loyalty to their society can only be achieved by empowering them to exercise their rights to their nation building. Gender equity is a fundamental right ensured in international norms and conventions and human ethics,” Shaikha Jawaher stressed.

“Women’s participation in the global economy can add US$12 billion to the world’s GDP and help eradicate high rates of unemployment and illiteracy. However, the goal of ensuring women the participatory rights they deserve goes beyond these figures. Equitable distribution of income and full utilisation of human capital in both advanced and developing communities will offer us all a major impetus in realising the UN SDGs by 2030,” she added.