Business & Money | Sunday 9 October, 2016 4:12 am |

The second edition of ‘Investing in the Future’ (IIFMENA), a conference that aims to invalidate false assumptions and cultural stereotypes obstructing women's development in the MENA region, has announced its first strategic partnership with NAMA Women Advancement Establishment (NAMA). IIFMENA’s Organising Committee has announced, owing to the alignment with NAMA’s vision and unrivalled accomplishments in the field of women's empowerment locally, regionally and internationally. 

 

Scheduled to take place on 19 and 20 October, IIFMENA Conference will be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah and His Wife, Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Big Heart Foundation, UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children and Chairperson of NAMA. It will be organised by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a Sharjah-based international humanitarian body dedicated to aiding vulnerable and needy people worldwide, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).

 

During the course of the conference, NAMA will endorse the goals of IIFMENA through a special stand by highlighting NAMA’s objectives, major initiatives as well as the recent strides it has made in empowering women in the UAE and beyond. Visitors will be able to have an insight on how NAMA has been a catalyst in enabling strong, talented women to compete globally on economic, professional and social levels.

                  

Highlighting the strategic importance of this partnership, HE Ameera BinKaram, Vice Chairperson of NAMA and Chairperson of Sharjah Business Women Council, remarked, “Partnering with the IIFMENA conference stems from our belief in the importance of complementary roles, and our desire to enhance cooperation with our partners; TBHF and UN Women. We have been eager to forge this partnership to share experiences and views with representatives of governmental and non-governmental organisations, international bodies, gender-equality advocates, academics, journalists and experts, to reach outcomes that would support the international efforts made to empower women in all fields.”

 

“NAMA's participation in IIFMENA is in line with the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi that aims to broaden the scope of the Establishment and participate on active platforms that contribute to creating new opportunities for women and young girls in the region”, she added.

 

HE Ameera BinKaram noted that the two-day event will involve extensive discussions centred around formulating practical strategies aligned with NAMA's overall goals of providing economic, professional and social support for women in the UAE – a big step towards attaining gender equality and advancing the status of women in UAE and the rest of the world.  

 

Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of ‘Salam Ya Seghar,’ an initiative by TBHF said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NAMA – an organisation that has attained several commendable feats in empowering and supporting women economically, professionally and socially."

 

NAMA will work with the organisers of the IIFMENA conference to develop its agenda and key themes. This partnership signals NAMA’s most prominent cooperation since its inception, owning to IIFMENA’s importance and
magnitude of participation. NAMA will organise a Round table discussion dedicated to pivotal issue of women's health. They will also host a closed session on the sidelines of the conference in order to put forth recommendations about the future of Emirati women.

 

The conference strives to highlight the need to bring women and young girls into the folds of the planning and decision making processes of society – activities that will lead to economic emancipation through education, training and employment. The conference also aims to ensure women’s access to community’s resources, especially within female-headed households in countries that impose social and economic restrictions on women.

 

IIFMENA-NAMA partnership will help strengthen the leading status attained by NAMA in the UAE and the Arab world, driven by its vision and goals to increase women's presence and broadening their participation across all spheres of life. For NAMA, the conference will serve as a platform to showcase significant achievements of Emirati women, which have stemmed from NAMA’s successful execution of its most prominent initiatives over the past four decades. 

 

The Investing in the Future conference, which is being held in Sharjah for the second time, will bring together government officials, representatives of international organisations and non-governmental organisations, advocates of gender equality, academics, media personalities and experts to review the key issues that contribute to full empowerment of women for a safe and stable society.

 

The conference will feature a number of key speakers and academic experts in the field of gender politics who will review and discuss the progress achieved by women in the MENA region. The ultimate aim of the event is to create a sustainable approach to development through the formulation of a roadmap towards an integrated package of humanitarian programmes that maintain the capacities of women and girls.

Participants interested in registering for the second Investing in the Future conference should submit their applications via www.iifmena.org before mid- October.