The UAE has established a comprehensive framework for women’s empowerment, taking a structured approach to tackle challenges, expand opportunities, and prepare women for leadership roles across diverse sectors. These efforts have enhanced the nation’s competitiveness both regionally and globally.
Key national entities, including the UAE Gender Balance Council and Dubai Women Establishment, have played a pivotal role in strengthening Emirati women’s leadership capabilities and supporting their rise to senior positions in the public and private sectors, in collaboration with leading international partners.
Speaking to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Mouza Mohammed Al Ghuwais Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the UAE Gender Balance Council, said that the Council is intensifying efforts to increase women’s participation in the private sector and raise their representation in leadership positions. This, she said, is being achieved through strategies and initiatives aimed at creating inclusive and balanced workplaces, in partnership with strategic stakeholders from both public and private sectors.
She highlighted that a number of national and international companies operating in the UAE have joined the “SDG 5 Pledge to Accelerate Women’s Leadership in the UAE Private Sector”. These companies have voluntarily committed to raising women’s representation in middle and senior management roles to at least 30 percent by 2025 for the first group, and by 2028 for the second group of companies that have recently joined the initiative.
The UAE Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026 seeks to narrow the gender gap across all sectors, improve the UAE’s position in global competitiveness rankings on gender equality, achieve gender balance in decision-making roles, and position the country as a global benchmark for gender balance policies and legislation.
Reflecting these efforts, the UAE ranked first in the region and 13th worldwide in the 2025 Gender Inequality Index issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Naeema Ahli, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, said that advancing Emirati women’s leadership remains one of the organisation’s key priorities. She noted that the Establishment continues to design and implement advanced training programmes to build leadership skills for women across sectors, while also preparing them for senior roles in international organisations through specialised programmes developed with global institutions and universities with expertise in executive and leadership education.
She added that these programmes aim not only to provide women with modern leadership knowledge and skills, but also to strengthen their understanding of leadership dynamics in changing work environments and build their confidence in decision-making roles.
(Inputs from WAM)
