Qatari telecom operator Ooredoo’s chairman Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani has been appointed to the World Bank Group Advisory Council on Gender and Development, a major global body dedicated to promoting gender equality around the world. 

 

Workforce differences are striking in the Mena region, where employment participation is 60 per cent for men, but only 38 per cent for women, according to statistics compiled by Ooredoo.

 

Globally, women are more economically excluded than men, with their workforce participation rate stagnating from 57 to 55 per cent over the past 30 years, according to the February 2014 World Bank Group report, "Gender at Work: A Companion to the World Development Report on Jobs". 

 

"As we have just marked International Women's Day, we need to reflect on mobile technology's role in opening new opportunities for women. Too often, women do not have equal access to mobile technology or mobile literacy, and this is an issue that all companies in our industry must address,” said Sheikh Abdullah.

 

"Ooredoo supports the development of human growth in all its aspects, with a particular focus on the empowerment of women. In both my role on the World Bank Group Advisory Council on Gender and Development and through our work at Ooredoo, we will strive to support bold initiatives that ensure that women can deploy mobile technology to enhance their daily lives," he added. 

 

Employment can bring gains for women, their families, businesses, and the wider community, with the "Gender at Work" report suggesting that higher female employment could have a direct impact on GDP, particularly in emerging markets. 

 

As a council member, Sheikh Abdullah will serve a two-year renewable term, joining senior government representatives, private sector leaders, and experts and civil society leaders in economics and gender and development. - TradeArabia News Service