New York: The NAMA International Women Fund (NAMA Fund), an effort to empower women globally, has been launched with seed funding of Dh10 million.
The fund was launched by Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Shaikha Jawaher is chairperson of the NAMA Women Advancement Establishment.
The fund was announced by Ameera Bin Karam, Vice-Chairperson of NAMA and Chairperson of the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC), during a speech delivered on behalf of Shaikha Jawaher during the Launch of Women Peace and Security Focal Points Network session at the UN Headquarters in New York City, organised on the sidelines of the 71st UN General Assembly.
The NAMA Fund seeks to mobilise financial and human resources required to elevate the status of women, and support programmes for women’s economic and professional empowerment, and invest in initiatives, which hone their skills in community development.
Shaikha Jawaher stressed that the main objective of launching the NAMA Fund was to support local, regional and international efforts to enable women’s development as economic, social and professional decision-makers.
The NAMA Fund, the first-of-its kind in the region, will support projects, initiatives and programmes tailored to empower women and advance their roles, not only in the UAE and the Mena region, but also the whole world. The NAMA Fund will select projects in coordination with associate regional and international organisations.
The fund will also finance local and regional awareness campaigns on the role of women in community development.
Shaikha Jawaher said: “In the UAE, we grew up as women blessed with the care and support of our founding father Shaikh Zayed and his brothers, Their Highnesses the Rulers of the Emirates, who believed in women’s essential and important roles as key partners in the development of the Union.”
The NAMA Fund will initially support Girls Ambassadors for Peace, a global programme implemented by the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP).
The programme will employ capacity building exercises for a group of girls in three countries, chosen to become ambassadors for peace and security in their respective communities.
The launch of the NAMA Fund is a new step in the completion of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment’s structure.
