Abu Dhabi: Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum, First Lieutenant Pilot at Dubai Police, on Friday attended the Women in Tech LATAM Awards in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Sheikha Mozah delivered a keynote speech at the event, highlighting the UAE’s journey in women’s empowerment and the country’s efforts to boost their participation across various fields. In her address, Sheikha Mozah also discussed women’s contribution to aviation throughout history and shared her experience as a First Lieutenant Pilot at Dubai Police.
“The UAE has provided women with all the support needed to succeed and considers them active partners in the country’s development journey. Thanks to the leadership’s commitment to gender balance and women empowerment, women in the UAE today enjoy leading positions across all fields and are assuming roles that were once believed to be only suitable for men. The support women continue to receive in the UAE has allowed them to excel in different industries, including aviation,” Sheikha Mozah said.
She reiterated that skills are not gender-specific and that excelling in aviation requires passion, commitment, and determination. Reaffirming her commitment to supporting more women in aviation, she said the “opportunity to fly an aircraft belongs to everyone and is not limited to any specific gender”.
Dubai ceremony
The Women in Tech LATAM Awards is the first of a series of regional awards organised by Women in Tech, an international non-profit organisation on a mission to close the gender gap and help women embrace technology. Dubai is set to host the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) edition of the Awards at the iconic Museum of the Future on October 13 to honour winners across eight categories.
Sheikha Mozah presented the Youth Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award to the winners in Rio De Janeiro.
“Youth are the reason I do what I do. I am motivated to help the next generation embrace all challenges as great opportunities to strive, grow and achieve their full potential,” she said.
Sheikha Mozah’s collaboration with Women in Tech began in May this year when she was invited to discuss her experience as a female pilot during the first Women in Tech Summit in Paris. Her story resonated with women across the global tech community. The resulting collaboration benefits youth and the Women in Tech mission of empowering women through technology.
On the sidelines of the event, Sheikha Mozah met with Cris Dos Prazeres, founder of VaiNa Web, a Women in Tech project launched in Morro Dos Prazeres in Rio De Janeiro. The meeting discussed how technology and coding are creating new youth opportunities.
