Strategy to empower women launched by Sheikha Fatima

ABU DHABI // The National Strategy for Empowerment of Emirati Women in the UAE leading to 2021 has been relaunched by Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.

Sheikha Fatima, chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), announced the updated strategy to coincide with the celebration of International Women’s Day today.

It will provide a framework for government, private sector and civil organisations to apply to work programmes, in order to provide a decent living for women.

It updates an earlier campaign launched by Sheikha Fatima in 2002, and is based on surveys that analysed strengths and weaknesses in policies and programmes.

Sheikha Fatima, widow of the late founding President of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed, said: “The overall surveys have unveiled that the achievements attained by women in all domains exceeded expectations, as the challenges did not pose any obstacle.

“But they made those in charge think in a scientific way to discover ways and approaches to overcome them.

“All those achievements in a short time in the history of countries impressed the world.

“We wish that the strategy would contribute to building a future for our people and country through partnerships with federal and local government departments, civil society organisations, and regional and international organisations.

“We also wish that the strategy 2015-2021 would be a framework for setting up work plans which would contribute to position the UAE among the advanced countries in the area of women’s empowerment.”