Sharjah to host ‘Investing in the Future’ conference

Sharjah / Emirates Business

In the presence and under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed al Qasimi, Chairperson of the ‘Big heart’ Foundation, Chairperson of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment, the second edition of the ‘Investing in the Future’ international conference will be launched tomorrow at Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre in Sharjah.
Held under the theme ‘Building the Resilience of Women and Girls in the Arab Region’, the conference is organised by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a Sharjah-based international humanitarian body, and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah will open the conference with a key opening address, while Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi will witness an all-women closed session. The session, ‘Future of Women in the Emirate’ is organised by NAMA Women Advancement Establishment in collaboration with the General Women’s Union and will discuss the journey of Emirati women and their achievements over the past four decades.
A dedicated combination of activists and gender equality advocates, representatives from government and non-government organisations, decision-makers, academics, experts and journalists from the Arab region will all be participating.
His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan delivers an opening keynote address at the opening ceremony of the second edition of the Investing in the Future Conference. The participation of His Highness reflects the importance of supporting and empowering women and the commitment to provide women with the tools they need to participate actively in public life, in particular the diplomatic corps. Their positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and at UAE embassies and consulates abroad is in perfect alignment with the leadership’s vision to support Emirati women in all areas.
Mrs. Rula Ghani, the First Lady of Afghanistan will deliver a keynote address at the opening ceremony of the conference.
Mrs. Ghani, wife of the President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has brought a real change for the women of Afghanistan. She was assigned an office at the presidential palace, where she plays an unusual role, challenging the Afghani traditions that forced former First Ladies to keep a low profile.
HE Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, delivers a keynote address at the closing ceremony of the conference.
Her participation at the conference stems from the crucial role she plays in the public sector in the UAE, becoming the first Emirati woman in UAE history to assume a cabinet position, when she was appointed as Minister of Foreign Trade in 2004.
Investing in the Future seeks to highlight the importance of women’s inclusion in the economic development process. It focuses on providing them with support and meeting their needs in education, training, employment and access to resources – especially for female-headed families in light of the social and economic restrictions imposed on women in many countries across the world.
The conference also aims to recognise women as agents of change in peace and recovery processes. There is a need for a gender responsive development approach in addition to the need to adopt a coordinated effort in peacebuilding planning. Partnerships must be forged across all sectors, with gender equality as an integral part of all strategies, policies and programmes aimed at empowering, protecting and supporting women and girls, including refugees and IDPs.