UAE

Gender equality means men and women both have important roles to play in world affairs, says Sheikha Fatima

Mother of the Nation issues statement ahead of major conference on peace and security

The National staff

December 17, 2017

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Gender equality means that "both men and women have important roles to play in all areas of life", Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), has said.

"Gender balance has been achieved in all areas based on the wise leadership's belief that the daughter of the UAE is a partner to its sons, in the process of developing the nation," she added.

Sheikha Fatima made the remarks in a statement issued ahead the Gender Dimensions of International Peace and Security: Keys to Prosperity and Peace conference, which begins in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

Sheikha Fatima said that the conference would "review ways to unleash the potential of women as an important partner in the building of societies and their contribution to reducing conflicts and crises in war zones".

Other goals of the summit, organised by the GWU in co-operation with Women in International Security, the UN Women’s Office and TRENDS Research and Advisory, include raising awareness of the link between gender and peace and security in both policy and practice.

It also aims to provide a better understanding of the gender dimensions of peace and security, showcasing the UAE’s good practice to the Women Peace and Security, WPS, agenda, and serving as a platform to launch a series of future activities aimed at advancing the women, peace and security agenda, she said.

The conference will also highlight the UAE's experience in the  leadership and empowerment of women, highlighting the success stories of Emirati women and the country's role in  promoting women in public life.

Dr Ahmed Al Hamli, president of TRENDS Research & Advisory, said the summit would see the launch a series of initiatives and activities, and the participation of a group of Emirati, Arab and foreign politicians and academics.

Speakers at the conference include Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and the President of UN Women, and Mara Marinaki, Ambassador and Principal Advisor on Gender at the European Union External Action.

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Started: 2021
 
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Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
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Investment raised: $4 million 
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  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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