Development of Women in Technology, TAG-Org partner to develop CWTAR

The innovative program will bring together coalitions of women and technology organizations that focus on the recruitment, retention and advancement of girls and women into technical fields and technology leadership roles to better grow economic development in the region.

Central to the partnership is the development of a framework for a self-sustaining, well-functioning non-government organization (NGOs) developed and sustained by women and technology-serving organizations within the region that can address and respond to the local and national culture and context.

"Once fully developed, CWTAR will enable organizations to help more women and girls to prepare for careers and become leaders in technical fields, communicating information related to the richness and breadth of women lives, and foster the development and dissemination of research and publications concerning gender and technology," said Claudia Morrell, CEO of MDWIT.

The CWTAR proposed has already moved the collaborative concept from strategy to execution through local leadership provided by UAE Higher Colleges of Technology's Dubai Women's College. Through a new collaboration with Microsoft, the College hosted the first DigiGirlz program outside the United States to introduce over 200 girls to women technical role models and fun technology.

MDWIT is providing leadership for a larger Global Women and Technology Collaborative (GWTC) strategy for regional centers of which CWTAR is the first.

Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, Founder and Chairman of TAG-Org, stated:

"It is time to consolidate efforts and better understand ICT development needs and take full advantage of ICT technologies and programs through cooperation and partnership frameworks that enhance educational outcomes and stimulate innovation. Women have always had important roles in educating our young children and developing our societies. Empowering them with new tools and values will surely help them contribute to the competitiveness of our economies and to building new generation which can fully understand the new challenges of the technological world of the Arab region."

TAG-Org, in partnership with the Higher Colleges of Technology Dubai Women's College, is already providing leadership through the development of a web portal on a large scale for understanding the status of ICT in the Arab countries. By engaging CWTAR, we will definitely redefine women's role in societies and through the portal, a new base for communication will be developed to ensure a better understanding of several key issues in women and technology in the Arab region.