Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, highlighted that the UAE has many achievements to its credit in the area of women’s empowerment and development, which has strengthened the UAE’s ranking in international reports.
HH said that the UAE has been praised for its development model, which has placed women as one of the government’s top priorities and created a supportive environment for women and their families by enabling them to contribute as active members of society. HH also stressed that through these efforts, the UAE is working to alter stereotypes about women and help them demonstrate their capabilities in playing important leadership roles.
Her Highness Sheikha Manal highlighted the efforts of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU) and the Family Development Foundation (FDF), and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood (SCMC) in encouraging working women, which serves as an inspiration for further efforts to create a supportive environment for women and their families.
Her Highness Sheikha Manal commended the changes in the new human resources law issued recently in Abu Dhabi, regarding maternity leave, which now allows working women to take three months of fully-paid maternity leave instead of two. The maternity leave law is being reviewed by senior UAE officials and treated as a top priority for the UAE Gender Balance Council due to its positive impact on society.
Her Highness Sheikha Manal stressed the Council’s commitment to submit suggestions to decision makers in order to amend the UAE maternity law in the best way possible. Her Highness also stressed that all sectors, particularly where women have more job opportunities such as the health and education sectors, should work together to advocate a unified Federal law for maternity leave.
Workshop
The UAE Gender Balance Council created a committee to discuss the UAE Maternity Law at a workshop organised by it. The committee included representatives from various UAE government sectors, particularly the health, education, legal and military sectors, along with human resources specialists and representatives from the private sector. The committee reviewed the current maternity law and provided suggestions in line with the directives of the leadership and the government’s vision to ensure the UAE’s leading position in supporting women.
HE Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, opened the meeting with a speech, highlighting the government’s efforts to secure a high ranking for the UAE in various international reports. The government believes that supporting women, reducing the gender gap and increasing opportunities across all sectors, will strengthen the UAE’s leading position in this area. Today, women in the UAE account for 66% of government jobs and hold 30% of decision-making positions. This reflects the rapid development and progress the UAE is making in achieving gender balance.
HE Mona Al Marri said: “We were keen to host a comprehensive committee meeting, which was attended by representatives from the private and public sectors, to discuss the current maternity law and discuss new legislation which will support families and our society. The session was very productive, and included discussions about the successful implementation of various ideas and suggestions across several sectors, representing a positive step towards creating the new law.”
HE Mona Al Marri also discussed the importance of establishing nurseries across institutions, which will enable working mothers to pursue their careers with the peace of mind that their children are cared for and close to them.
Comparing standards
Shamsa Saleh, Coordinator of the UAE Gender Balance Council, delivered a presentation about the Council, its goals, strategic plans, policies and legislation that supports the UAE’s gender balance agenda. She also reviewed current maternity leave policies and best practices.
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