UAE|US Women Strategize at Middle East Institute

A delegation of senior Emirati women was in Washington, CD this weekend, meeting with US counterparts in government, business and think tanks. The topic was: women, of course and also highlighting the roles women hold in UAE society.

Young women in UAEThe delegation including Americans Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the US Department of State; Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who is the first woman in US history to be elected both Governor and US Senator; and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, who is co-chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues.

Hosted by the Middle East Institute, organizations included Women in International Security and Vital Voices Global Partnership, Global Engagement, the 10,000 Women Initiative at Goldman Sachs and the US-UAE Business Council.

Highlighting the progress made by women in the UAE, UAE ambassador Al Otaiba said: “Forty years ago, women along with men had a very limited access to education in the UAE. Today, 70 percent of graduates from UAE universities are women. We have four women as fighter pilots in the UAE Air Force. Four women serve in the UAE federal cabinet and one-fifth of our National Federal Council are women.” via WAM|Emirates News Agency

Note: via Wikipedia

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Arabic: دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة‎, Dawlat al-Imārāt al-‘Arabīyah al-Muttaḥidah) is a federation of seven emirates situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman and Saudi Arabia. The UAE consists of seven states, termed emirates, which are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah. The capital and second largest city of the United Arab Emirates is Abu Dhabi. It is also the country’s center of political, industrial, and cultural activities.^[6]