UAE women leaders visit US to discuss women's empowerment

Marking the UAE's participation at the annual Executive Board meeting of UN-Women, a delegation of senior Emirati women from government, business and media recently visited Washington, DC and New York City. While in the US, the group met with their peers in US government and business to address common challenges in advancing women's issues across the world. During their visit, the Emirati delegation also shared their experiences as women leaders who work in a variety of sectors, and highlighted UAE initiatives that promote women's empowerment and equality. The visit also underscored the strong UAE-US bilateral relationship and helped create connections between prominent UAE and US women leaders. The UAE delegation began their visit in Washington, DC where they met with policymakers, business executives and foreign policy analysts, and engaged in discussions on areas of mutual interest, including global women's issues and the UAE's notable achievements to promote women's participation in all sectors. The group met with senior government officials at the US Department of State as well as women leaders in US government at a private reception. During meetings with the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, the United States Institute of Peace, Middle East Institute, and Center for American Progress, participants from the UAE and US discussed opportunities for future collaboration. At a breakfast panel discussion, hosted by the US-UAE Business Council, the delegation met with senior business executives from a variety of industries, including nuclear, manufacturing, hospitality and transportation. During the meeting, the Business Council President, Danny Sebright, highlighted the UAE's leadership in the GCC region in advancing the role of women. While in Washington, the group also visited the Children's National Medical Center (CNMC) where leadership from the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation briefed the delegation on the long-standing partnership between CNMC and the UAE. The delegation took a tour of the Haematology and Oncology Units, the research labs at the Institute, and the newly opened Pain Medicine Care Complex. In addition, the UAE Embassy honoured the delegation at a reception attended by Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, and senior UAE diplomats. Following their visit to Washington, the delegation travelled to New York where they attended a reception co-hosted by the UAE Mission to the United Nations and UN-Women at the United Nations Headquarters. At the reception, Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, First Deputy Speaker of the UAE Federal National Council and head of the delegation, provided opening remarks, and highlighted the UAE's support of gender inclusive approaches to international issues. Also in attendance at the reception were senior diplomats from UN member nations who were attending the UN-Women Executive Board's annual meeting, as well as leadership from the UN-Women Agency and the President of the UN Women Executive Board. While in New York, the delegation visited the office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and met with the leadership at Partnerships for New York City and 85 Broads, a global women's network whose mission is to generate exceptional professional and social value for its members. During the meeting, the group discussed promoting women's participation in business and entrepreneurship. At a discussion hosted by the Business Council for International Understanding, the delegation discussed the role of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East, and the ease of doing business in the UAE. Also in New York the group met with New York University-Abu Dhabi (NYU-AD) Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Hilary Ballon, and other faculty members, who detailed the growing partnership between the UAE and NYU, as well as identifying areas for future growth. NYU-AD students also met with the delegation and discussed their own experiences.