Raja Al Gurg meets MENA Businesswomen's Network

Raja Easa Al Gurg, President of Dubai Business Women Council (DBWC), a body that functions under the aegis of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), praised the efforts undertaken by regional and international organizations to raise the level of women and to enhance their business relationships in the region and the world by supporting their continuing and important roles in the development of society and services.

MENA Businesswomen's Network represents the partnership of local businesswomen's foundations in the Middle East and North Africa, Vital Voices, and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) which was established by the US Department of State.

The aim of the partnership is to build a network which brings together businesswomen from the Middle East and North Africa and to increase the number of women working in business by appreciating their work and enhancing their role in society.

MENA Businesswomen's Network unites, in addition to DBWC, businesswomen councils and organizations from different countries like Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. More councils are expected to join the network from Qatar, Tunisia, and Egypt. Network Leaders are planning to organize study tours to these organizations in their home countries twice a year.

Raja Easa Al Gurg, after welcoming the delegation, emphasized the importance of such meetings which enhance the relationships between the businesswomen in the Middle East and North Africa in a way that matches the needs and requirements of a world that is both widening and coming together.

Raja Easa Al Gurg also added that the missions of this Network that brings together different businesswomen councils and organizations, are, first, enabling Arab businesswomen to hold training courses in their work places and also to arrange sessions in professional counseling. The second mission is to host international experts to interchange ideas and points of views with businesswomen in the region and also to support them in the social and political fields. Among its missions also is the desire to improve women's role in the region for the future, especially with the comprehensive progress the regional countries are witnessing.

Raja Easa Al Gurg pointed out that the efforts made by international organizations for bridging the gulf between the rest of the world and the Middle East were still not satisfactory, since women in the region needed more guidance to optimise their important role in society, especially with the increase in the number of educated women and the rise in their awareness. They are now also qualified to assume high positions in the work place and to have their voices heard in the political field, she added.

However, the utilization of capabilities in the Arab world in terms of economic achievements and political participation remains the lowest in the world in quantitative terms as is evidenced by the fact that in 2005, women made up only 28 per cent of the workforce. One of the reasons identified for this state of affairs is the lack of awareness of the opportunities available. Another reason is the need for specific management skills and competences, which has remained unfulfilled.

Raja Easa Al Gurg reviewed the progress of Emirates businesswomen and the important role they play in supporting the economic development of the country and the enviable position they occupy, regionally and internationally. She noted that women make up 40 per cent of the Emirates' workforce.

She praised the important initiatives made by DCCI and other governmental organizations in Dubai to develop business in the Emirate and to provide means and methods that help to prepare suitable situations for businessmen and women simultaneously. In this context, she mentioned the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Business Award which was launched by DCCI, which motivates companies to develop their business. She also referred to FORSA, which is an important investment fund launched by Dubai World, dedicated to women investors and entrepreneurs. It is supported by an international high-level team that manages investments for achieving high incomes. It is an ambitious vision based on encouraging women investors and also a good platform for investments for those who have the capacity and the desire to invest.

Another important foundation is The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment (SME) for Young Business Leaders which was launched in 2002. The vision of the Establishment is to nurture the entrepreneurial spirit among UAE nationals and catalyze the development and growth of small and medium size enterprises. The Establishment's core mission is to encourage and facilitate the development of local start-up businesses in the UAE. The services of the SME extend to both entrepreneurs with existing businesses as well as budding entrepreneurs.