WGS in Dubai: Gender Balance Forum kicks off, discusses government action to accelerate equality, growth

WGS in Dubai: Gender Balance Forum kicks off, discusses government action to accelerate equality, growth

UAE’s progressive vision has positioned it at the forefront of gender balance globally and serves as an inspiration and model for other countries in the region

Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council

Published: Tue 14 Feb 2023, 1:11 AM

The UAE GBC on Monday opened the Gender Balance Forum on Day 1 of the World Government Summit 2023 in Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. The Forum started with an insightful panel discussion titled ‘Government Action to Accelerate Gender Balance and Regional Growth: An International Organisation Perspective.’

The panel discussion launched with opening remarks by Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Vice President of the UAE Gender Balance Council. The panel featured Ferid Belhaj, Vice President, Mena, World Bank; Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of World Economic Forum; and Haoliang Xu, Assistant Secretary-General, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (RBPPS), UNDP. The discussion was moderated by Ruqayya AlBlooshi, Executive Director for International Relations & Government Knowledge Exchange, UAE Prime Minister’s Office.

The session reviewed the policies adopted by the UAE to create an inspiring regional model of gender balance, with unwavering support from its visionary leaders, who view it as a national priority that has been promoted for over