Ivanka Trump has commended the UAE for its continuing efforts to increase opportunities for women in the workplace.
The daughter of Donald Trump and adviser to the US President, said the Emirates was setting an example to the rest of the region with its focus on gender equality.
Speaking on the opening day of the Global Women’s Forum in Dubai, Ms Trump highlighted the scale of women’s impact on the global economy.
She said a more balanced workforce in the region had the potential to add $600 billion (Dh2.203 trillion) to global annual GDP by 2025.
Too many women continue to face obstacles to entering the workforce, starting their own businesses, reaching their full potential and charting their own future
“I would like to commend Emirati leaders for removing barriers to women joining the work force and developing a national strategy that recognises women as essential to sustainable growth,” Ms Trump said.
“Last year more than 70 per cent of university graduates in the UAE were women. It’s incredible.
“Yet only 10 per cent of the UAE’s national income is derived from women and we know that is only going to grow and flourish in the years ahead.”
Ms Trump was addressing an audience that included Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Also present at the two-day conference were Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, and Theresa May, the former British prime minister.
In her speech, Ms Trump, an official adviser to her father, welcomed the progress the Middle East region had made in respect of women’s rights.
But while she said more remained to be done, she claimed the economic reward for overcoming remaining obstacles could be vast.
“Too many women continue to face obstacles to entering the workforce, starting their own businesses, reaching their full potential and charting their own future,” Ms Trump said.
“In the Middle East and North Africa, on average women have only half of the legal rights of men.
“In this region alone, women’s economic equality has the potential to add $600bn to global annual GDP by 2025.
“This number represents far more than an economic boom.
"It represents millions of lives full of promise, mothers who could provide for their children, daughters who could be the first to graduate high school and young women who could start businesses and become job creators.”
Ms Trump said she was proud to be surrounded by so many successful female entrepreneurs.
“Each of you has overcome immense challenges and are pioneering brighter futures for your families and your nations,” she said.
“We know that when women are free to succeed that families thrive, communities flourish and nations are stronger.
“Saudi Arabia has changed laws to respect women’s freedom of movement and access to credit and financial services.
“Bahrain has introduced legislation against discrimination in the workplace and Jordan removed legal restrictions which limited women’s ability to work at night.
“We all need to applaud these achievements and advancements.”
Ms Trump also spoke about the challenges women had faced in her own country.
“In the US, we have seen how much progress can be made within one lifetime,” she said.
“A few decades ago women could not take out a loan without a man or own a credit card in their own name.
“They searched for jobs in the female section of employment listings and made up only 25 per cent of managers in the 1980s.”
Now, Ms Trump said, women had become leaders in all aspects of American life.
“Last year there were more women than men in the US workforce, with women securing more than 70 per cent of new jobs,” she said.
“Women in America now represent 40 per cent of the primary breadwinners.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 0
Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')
Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)
Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
