AIWF Founder Board Member, Her Excellency Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of State for Tolerance, was a keynote speaker at the recent meeting of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment, which officially opened in Dubai on 06 February 2017. The UAE Gender Balance Council hosted the two-day event, which took place for the first time in the MENA region.
The High Level Panel was established to support and provide guidance on the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to improve economic outcomes for women, and promote women’s leadership in driving sustainable, inclusive, gender-responsive and environmentally sensitive economic growth. The High Level Panel features representatives of government, business, and civil society and is co-chaired by His Excellency Luis Guillermo Solis, President of Costa Rica, and Simona Scarpaleggia, CEO IKEA, Switzerland.
Other members of the High Level Panel include Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund; Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank; Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization; HE Samia Suluhu Hassan, Vice-President of the United Republic of Tanzania; Saadia Zahidi, Head of Employment and Gender Initiatives at the World Economic Forum; Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation; Justine Greening, UK Secretary of State for International Development; Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director at Oxfam International, as well as a diverse range of leading gender equality advocates, economic experts, academics, trade union leaders, and business and government representatives from all over the world.
