Ivanka Trump lauds UAE leadership for empowering women

Dubai: Dubai is all set to host the inaugural session of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai (GWFD) 2020 on February 16 and 17, with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attending the inaugural ceremony.

As Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States of America (USA), arrived in Dubai on Saturday ahead of the event, she said the UAE is taking bold leadership in advancing women’s empowerment in the region and expressed the hope that other countries will join the UAE in advancing the active participation of women is various spheres.

“The UAE is taking bold leadership on this mission in the region and we hope that other countries join in reforming laws that prevent women from fully and freely integrating into the political, social and economic spheres,” she said.

The Advisor to the US President, who is set to deliver a keynote address at the official opening of Global Women’s Forum Dubai (GWFD) 2020, was received on her arrival in the UAE by Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of the Board and Managing Director of the Dubai Women Establishment (DWE). The forum, to be held under the theme ‘The Power of Influence’ on February 16 and 17, is being organised by Dubai Women’s Establishment under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Ivanka said: “I am delighted to be attending the Global Women’s Forum Dubai to advance women’s economic empowerment around the world and highlight the progress of the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) initiative. This initiative has impacted over 12 million women in its first year, well on its way towards our goal of economically empowering 50 million women by 2025.”

She will join other high-profile international speakers at the forum to share her views on the importance of supporting women across developing countries and enabling them to contribute to their nation’s development process.

Mona Al Marri conveyed the greetings of Her Highness Shaikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council and wife of His Highness Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs to Ivanka Trump. She also relayed Her Highness’ appreciation for accepting the invitation to speak at the second Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020. She said the forum reflects the UAE’s keenness to support the global dialogue on advancing women’s participation, especially in the economy. Al Marri noted that Ivanka’s participation will help enrich the discussions at the event and support the advancement of women’s contributions to the economy.

Apart from speaking at the Forum, Ivanka will participate in the We-Fi MENA Regional Summit in Dubai, which will take place on the sidelines of GWFD 2020. Being held for the first time in the Middle East and North Africa region, the summit is co-organised by Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) and the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi), a ground-breaking multi-national partnership launched in 2017 to unlock financing for women-led businesses in developing countries. The initiative is supported by the UAE government, which was among the first contributing donor countries.

The summit aims to spur action to accelerate women’s opportunity to thrive as entrepreneurs throughout the MENA region; showcase programmes, institutions and research that help women entrepreneurs’ access finance, markets, training and mentoring, and enhance policies; and to engage women entrepreneurs to spark inspiration and ideas, through a variety of insightful sessions and workshops.

A wide range of topics will be explored throughout GWFD 2020, including transformative strategies for global gender balance, the future of women at work during the Fourth Industrial Revolution, propelling female entrepreneurship in the MENA region, women’s active role in government, and the importance of female engagement in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030, among others. Several breakout sessions will address these topics, presenting a vital opportunity to influence improved policies and foster collaborative partnerships that will empower women around the world to drive transformative change and create a better future for all.

Forum in numbers

The Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020 will span two days and will be addressed by 100 leaders and experts.Over 3,000 delegates from 87 countries are expected to attend 60 workshops and sessions, including five dedicated plenaries.