Dubai will host the Global Summit of Women, a major international business and economic forum for women leaders, for the first time from May 4 to 6.

 

Convened by US-based Globewomen Research & Education Institute, the Global Summit of Women brings together 800 delegates from 70 economies to engage in active cross-border networking, robust best practice exchanges, and inspiring presentations, with a focus on strategic and creative solutions to advance women’s economic progress globally, said a Wam news agency report.

 

The summit highlights include a special session on “Doing Business with the UAE” to equip delegates with key information needed to form future business alliances and opportunities, which will be led by UAE’s Minister for the Economy Abdulla bin Tocq and Securities and Commodities Authority CEO Dr Maryam buti al Suwaidi. 

 

In addition, a Ministerial Roundtable in which 25+ ministers and government officials are expected to attend for exchanges of what works legislatively in improving women’s economic lives, especially programmes in which both business and government are partners. The summit also plans to release its first report on women board directors in the MENAT region – its 36th report on women directors globally – covering 1,148 listed companies in 16 economies.

 

The delegates will gather in Dubai under the theme of “Women: Leading a New Climate of Change” to highlight how women are utilising innovative strategies and technologies to advance women’s economic opportunities and to address challenges faced by society at large. As in years past, women leaders ranging from cabinet ministers of various portfolios, CEOs of major companies, entrepreneurs, along with male and female senior executives of multinational corporations, are all expected to participate in the three-day summit. Delegations of women in business are expected from countries as diverse as South Africa, Vietnam, France, Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Kazakhstan, to name a few.

 

“We look forward to bringing this renowned summit to the Gulf region for the first time, specifically to the UAE, since it is the regional leader in advancing women economically and in leadership positions,” says summit President Irene Natividad. “Not everyone knows that women make up 50% of the UAE’s Parliament or that 30% of the Cabinet is female, or that the UAE was the first country to institute a quota for women board directors in the region. I want the Summit audience to leave with a sense of the progress being achieved in this economy.”

 

“There is genuine excitement from all parts of the world to come to Dubai, so we expect a dynamic, fact-filled and engaging dialogue with robust practical outcomes – individual and organizational -- on what can be done to move the needle on economic equity for women,” adds Natividad.

 

Founded in 1990, the Global Summit of Women is a programme of GlobeWomen Research & Education Institute, a non-profit organisation based in Washington, DC.