UAE is a leader in gender equality, UN ambassador says

Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh also emphasized the central role Sheikha Fatima, wife of the Founding President Sheikh Zayed, has played in the advancement of gender equality and the role of women in the UAE.

The UAE can offer the world practical lessons in achieving gender equality, according to the country’s Ambassador to the UN.

“A key lesson we in the UAE can share is the necessity of having government-driven policies to translate the vision of the UAE’s leadership into legislation on equality,” said Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh at the UN Headquarters in New York.

“This has been vital to achieving concrete progress on women’s rights in the UAE,” she said at a forum convened by UN Woman, the agency dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The Ambassador also emphasized the central role Sheikha Fatima, wife of the Founding President Sheikh Zayed, has played in the advancement of gender equality and the role of women in the UAE.

She said through Sheikha Fatima’s leadership as head of the General Women’s Union and Family Development Foundation she has contributed to further developing Sheikh Zayed’s vision of gender parity and development of women.

Illustrating the country’s success in this field Ms Nusseibeh said the UAE ranks first in the Middle East and North Africa region in having the narrowest gender gap, according to the World Gender Gap Report 2013, published by the World Economic Forum.

She also emphasised the UAE’s regional leadership in the educational parity between boys and girls.

With the UAE ranked 109 in the world on gender divide Ms Nusseibeh admitted that obstacles still had to be overcome.

“Challenges remain and we are working towards not only having the right legislative framework in place, but also ensuring its implementation across all sectors,” she said.