UAE: Upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan to get Women's Pavilion like Expo 2020 Dubai

Following its trailblazing success, the Women’s Pavilion that was introduced at Expo 2020 Dubai will be replicated at the upcoming Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, said during an International Women’s Day event at Expo City Dubai on Wednesday.

Al Hashimy, who also served as the managing director of Expo 2020 Dubai and is now the CEO of Expo City Dubai Authority, noted having another Women’s Pavilion at the next world fair is a testament to the vision of the pavilion – “when women thrive, humanity thrives.”

The Women’s Pavilion was not a requirement mandated by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos. But Al Hashimy said it was introduced at Dubai Expo to tell visitors that highlighting women’s issues is “not a token exercise.”

The Women’s Pavilion, which still stands today, is now part of Expo City Dubai. “It is a dedicated space for meaningful discussions supporting women’s contributions to shaping a more balanced world.” Al Hashimy noted all are stewards and everyone has a responsibility for the planet.

Stewards of Earth

The women’s day event at Expo City also delved into how women and men can support each other to build alliances around the common goal of protecting our planet.

Tarun Bothra, the co-founder of Saathi, talked about his passion and business of “empowering women and removing the taboo associated with menstrual hygiene in India”.

Bothra said sustainability was at the core of the business when he and his friends co-founded Saathi in 2015 to produce eco-friendly, compostable sanitary napkins made from locally-sourced banana fibre grown in Indian state of Gujarat, where Saathi is based.

Not only did they create sustainable sanitary napkins, they also empowered women by giving them employment, Bothra added.

Meanwhile, Monica Woodman, conductor of the all-women Firdaus Orchestra, talked about breaking stereotypes in music and conducting. She said women need more voices and opportunities in the music world.

Women's Day theme

The theme for this year’s International Women's Day is ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.’ It is aimed at “highlighting the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence, as well as exploring the impact of the digital gender gap in economy and society.”

In the UAE, there are the initiatives and achievements that support women in science and technology

The UAE is leading the way with women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). As of 2022, 62 per cent of UAE university graduates in STEM are women.

UAE women are playing a crucial role in the Emirates Mars Mission, making up 34 per cent of the mission and 80 per cent of the science team. Sarah Al Amiri, UAE Minister of State for Advanced Technology and Chairperson of the UAE Space Agency, led the Emirates Mars Mission that sent Hope Probe to Mars while Nora Al Matrooshi became the UAE and Arab world's first female astronaut.

• Video: UAE leaders pay glowing tributes to women in heartfelt notes