Dubai, UAE, 17 February 2020: The UAE Gender Balance Council today conducted a workshop focused on developing the ‘International Best Practices in Gender Balance Toolkit’ in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on the second day of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai (GWFD) 2020.
The main objective of the workshop was to exchange perspectives on the development of a gender equality toolkit that is practical and implementable across a variety of contexts. A range of tangible approaches for contextualising best practices and developing sustainable maturity models were discussed.
Featuring senior leaders known for their work on gender balance, the workshop also discussed practical examples and ideas related to the identification of gender equality best practices frim OECD countries and beyond. Workshop participants were drawn from the Global Council for the 5th UN Sustainable Development Goal, and others representing a range of nations and experiences.
Key participants included Her Highness Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, CEO of the Alliances for Global Sustainability; Her Excellency Shamsa Saleh, Secretary General of the UAE Gender Balance Council; Amadou Ba, Executive Chairman, AllAfrica; Her Excellency Aisha Miran, Assistant Secretary-General, Strategy Management and Governance Sector, The Executive Council of Dubai; His Excellency Abdulla A. Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, UAE Ministry of Economy; Lilia Naas, Chief, Office for Arab States, International Trade Centre; Her Excellency Hessa Tahlak, Assistant Under Secretary for Community Development, UAE Ministry of Community Development ;and Hanan Ahli, Executive Director, Competitiveness Sector, Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority (FCSA).
The workshop sought to identify country needs in strengthening gender equality to ensure the relevance and effectiveness of proposed tools. Perspectives on cross-country and cross-organisational sharing of ideas and best practices were also exchanged. Topics covered included political, legal, economic and social empowerment as well as tools to enable multi-dimensional empowerment.
The second edition of the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020, organised by the Dubai Women Establishment under the theme ‘The Power of Influence’, highlighted dynamic women across
governments and the business world, as well as their significant impact and valuable contributions across the global economy and society.
The GWFD focused on the importance of adopting policies and building partnerships that heighten women’s role and influence in four main focus areas: government, economy, society and future. Each of the four areas were addressed in extensive sessions led by local and global speakers and experts from various sectors.
