Sharjah: The UAE Gender Balance Council will enhance women’s contribution to the development of the UAE and establish a new step toward empowering and supporting women.

This was said by 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.

Shaikha Jawaher is the Chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and Honorary Patron of the Sharjah Businesswomen Council (SBWC) in praise of the UAE Gender Balance Council.

She added that the council will help empower women and support them to achieve local and international success.

Praising the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikha Jawaher said the council is a proactive approach towards supporting UAE women and facilitating their access to higher positions and, most importantly, ensuring stability within their families and at work, to enable them to give their best and participate in the march of development in their country.

Shaikha Jawaher welcomed the appointment of Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum as President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, as an acknowledgement of Shaikha Manal’s outstanding efforts and continuous work in supporting and empowering Emirati women.

“The UAE leadership has worked devotedly, since the early years of the Union, on women’s education and abilities to help them enter the job market, as well as to provide a supportive and appropriate environment for them. This was an important issue for the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and continued by the UAE leaders of today,” she noted.

Emirati women, Shaikh Jawaher said, had made significant achievements in various areas since the union. “They managed to move up to top executive positions in both public and private sectors ... Emirati women also proved their ability to contribute to the social and economic development locally, regionally and globally,” she added.