Dubai: Mariam Al Mansouri, an F-16 fighter pilot of the UAE air force, yesterday received the Asia Game Changer Award at Asia Society’s Game Changer Awards dinner and celebration at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York.
Organisers said Al Mansouri, who is among nine honorees, is a role model for women throughout the Arab world for battling stereotypes, and terror, from the air. Al Mansouri served in the army in other capacities before starting flight training.
As a fully qualified, highly trained, combat-ready pilot and wing leader in the UAE air force, Al Mansouri was an active member of the UAE mission participating in the air strikes being conducted by the global coalition against Daesh in Syria. She received the Mohammad Bin Rashid Pride of the Emirates medal for excellence in her field.
Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to the UN, attended the awards ceremony along with representatives of states, senior UN officials, and members of the diplomatic community at the UN.
Nusseibeh congratulated Al Mansouri, saying the recognition is an honour for all Emirati women.
She lauded the policy adopted by the UAE government of ensuring that women leaders were provided real opportunities for empowerment.
She noted that Al Mansouri, the first female squadron leader in the UAE air force, was an example of the role of women in a moderate, tolerant Muslim country like the UAE.
