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Dubai: Pakistani First Lady, Aishwarya Rai among attendees at Global Women Forum

Over the two days, the forum will welcome attendees from around 65 countries and feature over 130 sessions led by more than 250 influential speakers

Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) has announced on Tuesday the agenda of the upcoming Global Women Forum set to take place on November 26-27 at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai Media Office said in a statement.

Over the two days, the forum will welcome attendees from around 65 countries and feature over 130 sessions led by more than 250 influential speakers, more than 25 ministers from different countries, and representatives from international organisations alongside prominent youth figures and distinguished entrepreneurs.

A press conference was held at the Dubai Government Media Office to unveil the programme, speaker lineup, and global and local partners were revealed. The event featured speeches by Mona Ghanem Al Marri, Chairwoman and Managing Director of the Dubai Women Establishment, and Naeema Ahli, the organization's Executive Director.

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Among the attendees was Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council (UAE GBC), President of Dubai Women Establishment (DWE), wife of Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court.

"The UAE remains committed to supporting international efforts to empower women through effective global partnerships," she said.

"The Forum serves as a global platform for constructive dialogue centred on best practices that help strengthen the influential role of women," she added.

She also emphasised that the UAE’s forward-thinking leadership has positioned the country among the world’s leaders in gender balance and women’s empowerment indices, elevating the UAE to the first rank regionally and the seventh globally in the 2024 Gender Equality Index, issued by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The list of keynote speakers during the upcoming forum include Emine Erdoğan, wife of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Saida Mirziyoyeva, Assistant to the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Asifa Bhutto Zardari, First Lady of Pakistan and Member of the National Assembly.

Speakers also include Saqr Ghobash, President of the UAE Federal National Council, Osman Dion, Vice President of the World Bank for the Middle East and North Africa and Safaa El-Kouly, Director of the World Bank for the GCC States.

The forum’s agenda will also feature the participation of over 25 ministers from the region and around the world, alongside notable figures such as Eliza Reid, former First Lady of Iceland; Irene Fellin, NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for Women, Peace, and Security; Camille Vasquez, attorney for American actor Johnny Depp; and global film star Aishwarya Rai.

This year's edition will address three pillars. The first one is "Economy of the Future, Societies of the Future".This pillar will explore the anticipated role of women in driving economic development and their contribution to building advanced societies.

It will focus on best practices and supportive legislation for women in this domain, as well as advanced policies that meet future demands. The aim is to provide women with adequate space to participate effectively, enabling them to professionally harness their skills across various sectors.

Secondly, the forum will discuss "Shared Efforts, Shared Responsibilities"to focus on enhancing cooperation in supporting and empowering women, both within individual nations and at the international level. This includes sharing insights, best practices, and successful experiences, as well as fostering international collaboration to establish clear frameworks for increasing women’s participation in comprehensive and sustainable global development.

Finally, sessions will cover the "Impactful Technology, Impactful Innovations" to underscores the forum’s focus on technology as a fundamental and pivotal element in shaping the future. Discussions will address the immense potential of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the transformative technologies it has introduced, which are rapidly reshaping the world.

Key topics will include digital transformation, artificial intelligence, blockchain, the Internet of Things, fintech, healthcare digitization, entrepreneurship, and leveraging technology to support clean and sustainable energy solutions.

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