UAE has ranked number one in a global ranking for women in parliament as the country pushes ahead gender equality at all levels. The emirates was placed first in the female parliamentary representation index of the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2020. The 2019 directive to increase the representation of women in the Federal National Council to 50 per cent has placed the UAE among leading countries in terms of equality in parliamentary representation. “Gender balance was among the principles on which the UAE was founded nearly five decades ago, stemming from the late Sheikh Zayed's belief that women are equal partners in achieving sustainable development,” said Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, president of the UAE Gender Balance Council. “Today, we reap the fruits of this vision – which our leadership instilled through various legislations, initiatives, and programmes – leading to the establishment of gender balance across all sectors. “We are currently working on the council’s future strategy, which is linked to the UAE’s vision for the next 50 years. We want to maintain the momentum for progress and strive to be the world's leading nation by the UAE’s Centennial in 2071.”