Mother’s Day: UAE event to discuss the role of mothers in promoting tolerance

Popular Saudi presenter, first female Croatian President and top UAE officials to speak at the online meeting

Ahmed Al Mansouri, secretary general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, left, with Saudi presenter Lojain Omran. 

Women from the corporate and political world will gather online to discuss the role of mothers in spreading tolerance at an event on Sunday evening.

Popular Saudi presenter Lojain Omran, first female Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, and several other female officials will attend the event organised by the UAE’s Ministry of Tolerance and Coexistence.

The conference will be held to mark Mother's Day in the UAE.

"We are celebrating Mother's Day by hearing thoughts and talks from the leading mothers of the political and business world," the ministry said.

The conference will discuss the challenges that mothers still face in today’s society, and examine ways to better support women.

The conference will start at 6:45pm and will be inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, the Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence.

Ms Kitarovic, the Croatian president who served her country from 2015 to 2020, is one of the speakers.

Also on the list is Dr Fadia Kiwan, director general of the Arab Women Organisation. She will discuss how the pandemic has highlighted “women’s multiple missions”.

Shaloo Garg, a director at Microsoft and global adviser for technology and innovation at UN Women, will also speak.

Mother's Day is celebrated across the world on different days.

In the UK, mothers were this year honoured on March 14, but in many countries the day is celebrated in May.

March 21 was set aside as the special day for mothers in the Middle East decades ago.

Egypt first declared March 21 as Mother's Day in 1956, and other nations in the Arab world soon followed suit.

Mother's Day 2021 - in pictures