UAE | General
Initiative aims to give women a better deal
In a move coinciding with International Women's Day, the First National Gender Mainstreaming Effort in the Arab Region was launched in Abu Dhabi.
- By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 March 9, 2006
Abu Dhabi: In a move coinciding with International Women's Day, the First National Gender Mainstreaming Effort in the Arab Region was launched in Abu Dhabi.
Held under the patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE General Women's Union, the initiative was organised by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the British Embassy.
The effort aims to launch gender-mainstreaming initiatives through existing institutions that handle women's development, by enhancing these organisations' capabilities and promoting cooperation with public and private institutions.
This will be achieved through an extensive capacity building strategy that encompasses training in organisational skills, sector-specific gender development, and gender sensitising programmes targeting government and non-governmental agencies.
"It is not just about hiring women," said Ruba Al Hassan, Gender Focal Point for the UNDP. "It's about considering their issues and their concerns and what would affect them when you're making a policy."
In a previous move to mainstream women, the UNDP launched the Arab Women Parliamentary Project in May 2005, which specifically addressed increasing women's role in political participation.
However with this first national effort, a more comprehensive UNDP gender-mainstreaming initiative aims to target eight different sectors: education, economy, media, social affairs, legislation, environment, health and political participation.
Ruba stresses that gender mainstreaming does not revolve around the quantity of women in the workforce, but around the positions they hold. "It's not about quantity," she said.
"Unfortunately, most of the figures we've seen show that women hold positions at the bottom of the chain. Also, we have a phase-out when women are 30 years old and above, except that's when they're really beneficial to the country."
The First National Gender Mainstreaming Effort in the Arab Region has received the support of the government and various organisations. "What we want makes sense to everyone," added Ruba.
"Our laws give women all their rights, but now it's the actual interpretation of the laws. We have to now implement all the wonderful stuff that's on paper."
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