Leading global and regional voices championing the cause of gender equity and women’s economic empowerment will convene at the second edition of the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Summit (WEEGS) to be held from December 10 – 11, at the Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre (JRCC) in Sharjah.

WEEGS 2019 is being held under the theme, ‘Drivers of Change’, representative of key stakeholders in the women’s empowerment discourse. Guest speakers including national leaders, change- and policy-makers

and an expected attendance of 1,000 participants will hold action- and result-oriented discussions to promote women’s economic participation and advancement across sectors, under four pillars WEEGS 2019 has identified, namely, gender-responsive procurement, women’s participation in value chains, the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), and women’s access to finance. The summit will deliberate on a number of key empowerment issues like practical requirements that need to be fulfilled for women’s full integration in various sectors of the economy, and steps that need to be taken to bypass the technical and legislative obstacles in the way, to close gender gaps and achieve the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The summit is organised by NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA) in line with its commitment to promoting women’s status economically and professionally, and is held in collaboration with UN Women, a global champion for women and girls. It will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council Ruler of Sharjah, and his wife, HH Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of NAMA.

UAE ministers and officials

Speakers from the UAE include a group of ministers and senior government officials, namely, HE Hessa bint Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; HE Abdulla Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Foreign Trade, UAE Ministry of Economy; Dr. Nawal Al-Hosany, Permanent representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency;

The list also includes Samah Al Hajeri, Chief Innovation Officer, Director at Minister of Economy; HE Hussain Al Mahmoudi, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the American University of Sharjah Enterprises (AUSE) and CEO of the Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park (SRTIP); Dr. Lamya Nawaf Fawwaz, Executive Director, Brand & Strategic Initiatives at Masdar; and Najla Al-Midfa, General Manager of Sheraa – Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center.

Representatives of entities in the international community  

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, will lead the lineup of speakers representing grassroots and international organisations. Mlambo-Ngcuka, who has devoted her career to championing issues of human rights, equality and social justice, will be delivering a talk alongside HE Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA, on the opening day of WEEGS 2019.

She will be joined by a notable group of speakers from around the world, most notably, Shaloo Garg – Managing Director, Microsoft for Startups, Silicon Valley; Elizabeth Vasquez – President, CEO, and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, a corporate led non-profit that helps to empower women business owners to succeed in global markets; Alexandria Lafci – Co-Founder of New Story, an innovative nonprofit founded in 2014 that has built over 3000 homes in Latin America and the Caribbean; Xiangcen Guo- Assistant Director of the Futures Office at the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency; Anshu Gupta, Founder-Director of Goonj, and recipient of the 2015 Ramon Magsaysay award; Heather Henyon, partner of Mindshift Capital, a global venture fund investing in women-led technology start-up companies; Roula Douglas, journalist, author and human rights activist; and Rawan Maki, Environmental Engineer and Fashion Designer from Bahrain; and Amber Ghaddar, Cofounder AllianceBlock.

Representatives of UAE community and semi-governmental institutions

The summit will bring together change-makers, influencers and entrepreneurs from the UAE actively seeking to find effective and sustainable solutions for women’s economic inclusion in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030.

They include HE Reem BinKaram, Director of NAMA; Dr. Maryam Matar, Founder and Chairperson of the UAE Genetic Diseases Association; Heba Al Emara, Associate Director, Head of Middle East Relations, Vistra; and Shamma Al Baskati, writer, multidisciplinary artist and Louvre Abu Dhabi Ambassador.

Afra Atiq, award-winning poet and PhD candidate; Meera Al Mheiri, first female Emirati nuclear safety inspector; Shainoor Khoja, Managing Director and Chief Impact Officer, Foundation Holdings Dubai; and Diana Hamade, Attorney at Law are also on the WEEGS 2019 speaker list.

Women’s comprehensive labour market partnership can add US$ 160 trillion to global growth

Reem BinKaram said: “A group of leading speakers on women’s empowerment issues have been chosen to discuss WEEGS 2019 topics under this year’s theme ‘Drivers of Change’ to find innovative approaches to influence global policies and create an effective platform for enhancing women’s capacities and expanding their professional horizons. NAMA’s belief that women’s inclusion in economy and economic development are inextricably linked is affirmed by the recent World Bank report, which states that globally, countries are losing $160 trillion in wealth because of differences in lifetime earnings between women and men. This must serve as an eye-opener to us all, especially considering the current global economic situation, where IMF predicts a 3 percent global growth forecast for 2019.”

“We look forward to hosting a stellar line-up of speakers at WEEGS 2019 who will have key insights on new and innovate approaches we can apply to influence global policies, inform grassroot actions, boost women’s career prospects. Bridging the gender gap in labour markets is the need of the hour. World Bank’s 2019 indicators reveal that women represent less than 39 percent of our global labour force. These conversations are a must, if we were to boost these statistics by creating more equitable opportunities and inclusive workplaces. Women are an indispensable human resource for the development of any nation. By helping create a better entrepreneurial ecosystem for women and enhancing their skills to advance their strategic interests, we can boost their role in achieving the 2030 SDGs,” she added.

Through the two-day discussions guided by the WEEGS 2019 theme, NAMA seeks to reinforce regional and global efforts to find effective and sustainable solutions for women’s economic inclusion. The summit will highlight the importance of reviewing legislation, internal regulations and policies of government and private entities and focus on bringing together all initiatives and efforts working towards the common goal to make a difference and drive change. The summit will also address the need to furthering women’s partnership and their pivotal role in new non-traditional sectors and emerging markets.

The debut edition of WEEGS 2017 had forged partnerships with several national and global entities to promote and support gender equity.