Sheikh Nahyan with the winners of Taryam and Abdullah Omran Press Award in Sharjah on Saturday. Gulf Today

Ashraf Marhally & Mahmoud Ads, Staff Reporters

Dar Al Khaleej held on Saturday the annual conference to honour the winners of the Taryam and Abdullah Omran Press Award. The conference was themed “The Emirati woman… Social Standing and Empowerment.’’

An outstanding group of dignitaries attended the conference, which began with a speech by Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister for Tolerance, followed by a welcoming speech by Khaled Abdullah Omran Taryam, Chairman of Dar Al Khaleej, and a presentation of  opinion by Aysha Taryam, Editor in Chief, Gulf Today.

Sheikh Nahyan began by thanking Dar Al Khaleej, which has been undertaking great responsibilities through the years.

He then affirmed the Emirati woman is keen to reinforce the Emirati identity with her amazing abilities of innovation, creativity, serious desire to work and initiate, strong resolve to perform and successfully accomplish.

Sheikh Nahyan added, “The Al Khaleej annual conference has become a very great and important cultural event, embodying the national affiliation of all in charge of Dar Al Khaleej and affirming their obvious keenness to study the successful march of the UAE, realising all the successive developments, seeking to influence positively these developments, to achieve progress and prosperity of the UAE, the glory and prosperity of the nation, and peace and stability around the whole world.’’

He said that the conference is a valuable occasion where people express pride in Dar Al Khaleej and celebrate together the fragrant anniversary of its creators, the distinguished brothers, the Late Dr Abdullah Taryam and his brother, the Late Taryam Omran Taryam.

“We today express our feelings of acknowledgments and gratitude. We thank them for their outstanding achievements and their outstanding role in serving the nation. We thank them for their role in a prestigious march of the United Arab Emirates, and for their great keenness to serve the community and the development of human everywhere.

“Empowerment of Emirati women is an approach that has been firmly instilled in the minds of the prudent leadership of the UAE by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and is sustained by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohamed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and Their Highnesses Supreme Council Members and Rulers of Emirates.

This was stated by Khaled Taryam.

He stressed that the UAE has become a global example in support and empowerment of women.

He expressed his thanks and gratitude to Sheikh Nahyan and to the participants and attendees.

“Al Khaleej Research and Study Centre this year selected an important issue to be the theme, which is empowerment of Emirati women to merit the women and their achievements at the national level. Women in the UAE are present at all levels and in all sectors. They are here at Dar Al Khaleej with their work and efforts in most rewarding cycles,” Khaled added.

“When we look at the empowerment of women in the UAE, we see that they have chosen a distinguished path that combines their empowerment in all fields alike and the optimal use of all procedures and possibilities to achieve their major goals. This confirms that the Emirati women are living their best days with the support of community, leadership and federal and local institutions. They have actually become a key partner in the sustainable development,” said Aysha Taryam.

Aysha Taryam’s speech, delivered on behalf of her by Dr Yousef Al Hassan, stated, “Today, the Emirati women with their ambition, effort and support of the wise leadership, have occupied ministerial and senior leadership posts, as well as academic and scientific positions where they innovated, created, produced and were promoted to serve most prestigious and important civil institutions in the UAE.”

She hailed the unlimited support of the UAE leadership, who spare no effort to ensure empowerment of women.

She also explained that empowerment of women in general is reflected in the realisation of two fundamental objectives, which are achieved through the achievement of a set of goals.

“Empowerment of women should be first instilled in their thinking and in the consequences of this thinking to gain their independency without restriction or dictation from any party against their will. It is apparently reflected in their freedom to make the right decision for what they face at any level, whether economic, social or political,” Aysha added.

Aysha Taryam explained that throughout history, many reasons have prevented empowerment factors from being realised. Those reasons are deeply rooted in the history of mankind. Some of the reasons are rooted in old social traditions and stemmed from the erroneous interpretations of scripts, or through the monopoly of this interpretation by those who had a bias against the empowerment of women in their orientation and ways of thinking, she noted.

Aysha Taryam continued, “The UAE has chosen to win the issue of empowering women and to overcome the obstacles that have hindered gender equality through a strategy that has been comprehensive in its perspective, integrated in its procedures and synchronised in its implementation. This strategy has resulted in a set of policies that combine different fields and various tools to realise its goals.”