H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, congratulated the wise leadership and H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), on the UAE’s new achievement in gender balance by ranking first in the Arab world in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Gender Gap Report 2022. The UAE climbed four global ranks to 68th place.

Sheikha Manal expressed her pride in this new regional and global achievement for the UAE, which continues its global progress in gender balance and reflects the country’s priorities in its approach and vision under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai. She praised the support provided by the wise leadership and H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak to women in all sectors, supplemented by legislation, policies and initiatives that reinforces their rights and enhances their participation in economic, political and social life and in international forums.

Sheikha Manal added that, thanks to the wise leadership’s commitment to gender balance, the UAE is one of the world’s leading countries in terms of the percentage of women’s parliamentary representation, with 50% in the Federal National Council. The UAE is also amongst global leaders in terms of ministerial representation with 27.5 percent of the number of ministers, in addition to its high representation in the labor market, specialised jobs and jobs of the future.

Sheikha Manal said, “The UAE Gender Balance Strategy 2022-2026, launched in March, aims to achieve UAE leadership and global influence in this field, and to enhance the representation of women in leadership positions and across sectors, through gender mainstreaming and meaningful local and international partnerships, in alignment with the goals and pillars of the next fifty years plan and the vision of our wise leadership.”