Gender Balance Council


Established in 2015, the UAE Gender Balance Council is a federal entity responsible for developing and implementing the gender balance agenda in the United Arab Emirates. The Council is chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Women Establishment and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. The Council’s objectives are to reduce the gender gap across all government sectors, enhance the UAE’s ranking in global competitiveness reports on gender equality and achieve gender balance in decision-making positions, as well as promote the UAE’s status as a benchmark for gender balance legislation. It also launches pioneering initiatives and projects to enhance gender balance throughout the country and contribute to achieving the Council’s vision of positioning the UAE as a world model for gender balance.

History

The UAE Gender Balance Council was created by virtue of a Cabinet resolution issued in February 2015. "The focus of the GBC is women empowerment in order to achieve more development in the country.

Responsibilities of the Council

·Reviewing current legislation, policies and programs, and proposing or updating new legislation or programs in order to achieve gender balance in the workplace.
·Recommending the implementation of laws, regulations, resolutions and international agreements related to gender balance.
·Reviewing and monitoring international competitiveness reports.
·Proposing gender balance indices and submitting them to the Council of Ministers for approval, in addition to implementing them in the country in coordination with local authorities.
·Coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to represent the United Arab Emirates in international circles, and proposing cooperation agreements and joint programs.
·Submitting reports to the Council of Ministers pertaining to the achieved progress, initiatives, projects and requirements of the Gender Balance Council.

Structure

The hierarchy of the council is as follows:
  1. HE Mona Al Marri, Director General of the Government of Dubai Media Office, Vice President of the Gender Balance Council
  2. HE Younis Haji Al Khouri, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Finance
  3. HE Abdullah Nasser Lootah, Director-General of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority
  4. HE Noura Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the General Women's Union
  5. HE Dr. Abdul Rahman Al Awar, Director-General of the Federal Authority of Government Human Resources
  6. HE Abdullah bin Ahmed Al Saleh, Undersecretary for Foreign Trade and Industry at the UAE Ministry of Economy
  7. HE Reem Al Falasi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood
  8. HE Dr. Omar Abdul Rahman Salem Al Nuaimi, Assistant Under-Secretary for Communications and International Relations at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation
  9. HE Hessa Tahlak, Assistant Undersecretary of Social Development at the Ministry of Community Development
  10. HE Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Director-General for Strategy and Innovation at the Prime Minister’s Office
  11. HE Abdullah Hamdan Al Naqbi, Director of the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
  12. HE Shamsa Saleh, Secretary-General of the Gender Balance Council

    Mission and role

The Gender Balance Council's goal is to achieve female empowerment. The establishment of the GBC was announced by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during a session, "Toward Gender Balance in Governments", on the role of women in development and the UAE's international competitiveness.
The GBC's role consists of bridging the gap between women and men and enhancing the UAE's global status in the matter. The GBC undertakes several legal roles, notably review of legislation introduced and policies proposed in the matter of gender balance, but also seeks to balance rights like nationality rights, divorce rights, guardianship and custody rights, inheritance rights, freedom of movement, protection from child, marriage, and protection from gender-based violence.
Set by ruler of Dubai, a goal for the UAE to become one of the world's top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021.
In August 2016 the GBC announced the establishment of a committee to review the law and to activate the Gender Balance Index across various sectors.

Initiatives

Launching ‘The Gender Balance Guide: Actions for UAE Organisations’
The UAE Gender Balance Council and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development collaborated in 2017 to launch ‘The Gender Balance Guide: Actions for UAE Organisations’. The guide is a comprehensive resource to aid public and private entities in the UAE to enhance gender balance in the workplace, in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Drawing on the international best practices, standards and recommendations of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development member countries, the guide supports UAE organisations in creating gender sensitive environments that empower men and women to participate across all sectors.

Emirati women education

The literacy rate of women in the UAE was 80.7 percent in 2003, higher than the male literacy rate of 75.6 percent. Across all institutions of higher education in the UAE, including both Federal and private institutions, the total number of UAE National women enrolled in higher education is approximately 190 percent of the number of UAE National males.

Maternity leave

In August 2016,The GBC announced it would review the country's maternity law, and some private sector firms have already enhanced their policies. Dubai-based Omnicom Media Group MENA recently increased entitlement to 90 days, following a number of requests.