Dubai: The UAE Gender Balance Council launched on Sunday the ‘Gender Balance Guide: Good Practices for the UAE Organisations’, a comprehensive set of guidelines and concrete actions aimed at helping UAE organisations adopt a gender-sensitive approach at their workplace.
The official launch of the Gender Balance Guide took place at the World Government Summit in Dubai. A consultation phase led by the Gender Balance Council will follow in the upcoming months to collect the suggestions of concerned organisations.
Developed in strategic collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Gender Balance Guide provides benchmarks and concrete steps to enhance gender balance within decision-making positions, promote women-friendly working environments and embed gender balance within the policy framework.
Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of the Dubai Women Establishment and wife of His Highness Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, said: “The Gender Balance Guide is yet another key initiative of the Gender Balance Council that supports the UAE’s vision for enhancing women’s role as key partners and contributors in building the future of our nation.”
This initiative, she said, further strengthens UAE’s efforts to reduce the gender gap across all sectors, enhance the UAE’s ranking in global competitiveness reports on gender equality and achieve gender balance in decision-making positions, as well as promote the UAE as a model for gender balance.”
Shaikha Manal noted that the newly launched Guide consolidates the steady progress made by the Gender Balance Council in promoting a culture of gender equality in the UAE. In 2016, the Council launched the UAE Gender Balance Programme, a comprehensive framework to review legislations and national policies that support women, which has been in effect since last November. The Council’s efforts led to the UAE government introducing legislative amendments to extend the maternity leave for Federal Government employees to three months paid leave.
Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council Mona Al Marri said: “The Gender Balance Guide marks a new milestone in the UAE’s progress towards gender equality.”
This Guide, she said, would help organisations deeply embed a culture of gender balance in their operations and strategic framework. The Guide highlights best practices and policies that can help federal and government institutions in achieving their gender balance targets, contributing to the UAE’s vision of becoming one of the world’s top 25 countries in the UNDP Gender Inequality Index.
