The first country in the Middle East and North Africa in "Women, Business and the Law"

"The UAE and gender balance" ... a perfect mark for freedom of movement, work, wages and entrepreneurship

• The Women, Business and the Law Index measures the extent to which laws and regulations affect women's economic opportunities in 190 global economies.

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The UAE ranked first in the Middle East and North Africa in the "Women, Business and Law 2021" report issued by the World Bank.

The country has made great progress in the 2021 version of the report, achieving 82.5 points out of a total of 100 points, compared to 29 points in the 2019 version, and 56 points in the 2020 version, and it also achieved a full score (100 points) in five axes: freedom of movement, work, wages. , Entrepreneurship, and pension.

The wife of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, affirmed that this great global achievement of the state in the field of gender equality strengthens the march in support of women Over a period of half a century, it is in addition to its scientific, economic and social achievements that begin the journey of the next fifty years on the road to reaching the best internationally in various fields.

Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum extended her sincere congratulations to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, and to Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the General Women's Union, Chair of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, Supreme Chair of the Family Development Foundation

Her Highness said: “The great support and constant encouragement that women in the Emirates receive from His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and from (Mother of the Emirates) His Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak is a cause for more pride and pride, as this approach was a direct reason for women in our country to reach the highest positions within various sectors, and to achieve successes and achievements that we are proud of internationally, while women enjoy all the rights that enable them to continue their role in Building the nation’s future and preparing the new generations that will take responsibility for its advancement and progress.

Shrinking the gap

Her Highness Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed said that the Emirates Council for Gender Balance has worked since its establishment in 2015 to achieve the vision and directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to work to reduce the gender gap in all sectors of the country and raise the country's position in global reports and indicators. During the launch of specific initiatives and the intensification of cooperation with the concerned federal authorities and the private sector, as well as strengthening global partnerships with organizations and countries with distinguished experience in gender balance, Her Highness affirmed that the new strategy of the Council, which stems from the goals of the country's next fifty years plan, focuses on exploring prospects A new phase that takes us from the stage of bridging the gaps and learning about best practices to the stage of positioning the country as an exporter of best practices for gender balance.

Intense efforts

His Highness, the President of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, said that this global achievement of the UAE comes thanks to intensive national efforts that have not been interrupted since 2017, and a large teamwork that included representatives from the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Emirates Bank. Central, where the team worked, under the direction of the UAE government, to study and review laws and legislations concerned with gender balance and women's economic empowerment, and new laws and policies and legislative improvements have already been issued for more than 20 legal articles, including the areas of work, protection, political participation, personal status, the judiciary, wages and banking transactions, All of them would enhance the status of women, guarantee and protect their rights, support their important role in political, economic and social development, improve the life cycle of working women, and support family bonding.

Fifty strategy

Her Highness Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum confirmed that the new laws, legislative amendments and organizational policies that were approved during the last period keep pace with the role of women in the next fifty years strategy for the UAE while enabling them to continue their successes throughout the blessed path of the state in the past fifty years, and to build on them Towards broader horizons of achievements in various sectors and fields.

Her Highness said that the development of legislation is part of the continuous development in the Emirati society, stressing that “Encouraging and supporting the wise leadership of the daughter of the Emirates has made the country a title for gender balance in the region, and a model in the system of sustainable development, which qualifies women for achievement and assume more responsibilities in national work sites. Efficiently and ably. ”

8 indicators

The Women, Business and the Law Index measures the extent to which laws and regulations affect women's economic opportunities in 190 global economies.

In the UAE, in 2019, a set of legal amendments were made in five laws, while in 2020 six legal amendments were made to the laws regulating work relations and personal status.

Pride and pride

Mona Ghanem Al-Marri, Vice-President of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, expressed her pride and pride in this global ranking of the UAE in the field of gender balance and economic support for women as a result of the availability of regional legislation, regulatory laws and leading policies, stressing that this global position the UAE has reached is the fruit of investment Our wise leadership and the government of the UAE in terms of men and women alike, and they are well equipped to actively participate in various development efforts and lead the future.

The Vice-President of the Emirates Council for Gender Balance expressed her pride in the support and constant motivation women receive in the UAE to succeed and excel from the wise leadership of the UAE, which spares no effort in providing all aspects of support for women and preparing all means for them to play their role in the best way. Including its family, social, economic and political role, and actively contributing to the distinguished global position and regional leadership the UAE has reached.

A quantum leap

The Acting Director of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, Hanan Mansour Ahli, expressed her pride in the qualitative leap made by the UAE in the report on Women, Business and Law in its latest publications, and said that it is the fruit of the joint cooperation between the Center and the Emirates Council for Gender Balance, in addition to the national efforts of many bodies. Federal and local in the state, which worked to translate the vision and objectives of our wise leadership, which gives women full care and appreciation, and believes in their role as effective partners in economic development.

Ahly emphasized the keenness of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics to play its role in working to enhance the country's position in global competitiveness reports and indicators, and to achieve sustainable development goals, by building an integrated national statistical system, proposing policies, strategies, legislation and plans related to the field of statistical and competitive work, studying best international practices and work To implement it in cooperation and coordination with government agencies and the competent authorities.

Manal bint Muhammad:

• «The continuous leadership motivation for the daughter of the Emirates to make the country a title for gender balance in the region, and a model in the system of sustainable development.

• «A qualitative leap as a result of new laws and legislative amendments to more than 20 legal articles that enhance the economic participation of women.

Laws and legislation

The most important new laws and legislative amendments issued in the past two years, which were positively reflected in the qualitative leap for the UAE in the 2021 version of the Women, Business and Law Report issued by the World Bank include the following:

1- Decree by Federal Law No. 6 of 2020 amending some provisions of Federal Law No. 8 of 1980 in the matter of organizing labor relations, which was issued by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and provides for equality of wages for women with men in the private sector. A worker in the private sector has paid “parental leave” to take care of his child, making the UAE the first Arab country to grant parental leave to a worker in the private sector.

2- The

decision of the Council of Ministers headed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the State and Ruler of Dubai, may God protect him, in 2019 regarding equality in salaries and wages between the sexes in government agencies, making the UAE the first country in the region to issue legislation from This type.

3-

Abolish all restrictions imposed on women working at night and working in heavy jobs.

The labor law does not allow an employer to terminate a working woman’s service or warn her because of her pregnancy.

4-

The Work Organization Law prohibits discrimination between employees in obtaining jobs and promotion, and it also prohibits discrimination between the sexes in jobs with one job tasks.

5- The

decision of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, may God protect him, in 2019 to raise the percentage of women's representation in the Federal National Council to 50%.

6-

In 2019, the UAE Central Bank issued a circular to all banks and finance and money exchange companies operating in the country regarding gender equality and non-discrimination in banking transactions and access to credit.

7-

His Highness the President of the State issued a decree of federal law in 2019 regarding combating discrimination and hatred, prohibiting all forms of discrimination on the basis of sex.

8-

Issuance of a law that punishes with imprisonment and a fine, or one of the two punishments, for anyone who attacks a female in a way that violates her modesty, by word or deed, on a public road or a covered place.

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