The seminar aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange and share experiences in the field of gender balance within the United Arab Emirates and Nordic countries.

Under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, and wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) organized the “Women in the Workspace: A shared UAE-Nordic Perspective” seminar in collaboration with the Danish Embassy in the UAE.

The seminar aimed to facilitate knowledge exchange and share experiences in the field of gender balance within the United Arab Emirates and Nordic countries. It comprised of in-depth discussions on best gender-friendly practices and policies in support of women’s imperative socio-economic role, and reviewed the necessity of encouraging their entrepreneurial success.

The seminar was attended by Mona Al Marri, Chairperson of DWE’s Board of Directors; Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin, the Danish Ambassador to the UAE; Marianne Nissila, the Finnish Ambassador to the UAE; Sten Arne Rosnes, the Norwegian Ambassador to the UAE; Carl Mörner, the Deputy Swedish Ambassador to the UAE; Shamsa Saleh, CEO of DWE; Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, Director of Dubai Ladies Club; Sultana Saif, Director of the Women Development Department at DWE; and Maitha Shuaib, DWE’s Director of Corporate Communication.

Enhanced cooperation

During the seminar, Mona Al Marri praised the cooperation and longstanding friendly relations between the UAE and the Nordic countries, and highlighted that the seminar serves as an ideal platform for knowledge-exchange and enhancing communication between Emirati and Nordic female entrepreneurs, as Nordic countries are among the world’s pioneers in fostering gender balance and encouraging the active participation of women in the political and socio-economic spheres

She also elaborated that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranked Denmark among the world’s leading countries in terms of equality in income between genders. Similarly, UAE ranked high in equal wage for similar work, and announced in 2018 ‘The Law on Equal Wages and Salaries for Men and Women’.

Strengthening happiness and productivity

Reflecting on the significance of the seminar, Franz-Michael Skjold Mellbin stated, “What makes this seminar special is that it will focus on specific action for gender equality in the workspace. Individual action. Private sector action. Government action.