dewa-womens-committee-puts-spotlight-on-its-achievements-in-womens-empowerment

The Women’s Committee of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) hosted a ceremony to announce the second sitting of its new members yesterday, attended by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, and also to highlight the committee’s significant achievements in empowering ladies in the workplace, and supporting their role in building a much more active society. The distinguished guests at the luncheon included Dr. Mona Al Bahar, Member of the Federal National Council and Assistant Director General for Care & Community Services at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, and Khawla Al Mehairi, Chairperson of the Women’s Committee at DEWA, as well as Executive Vice Presidents and other senior management as well as representatives from Government organizations. Highlighting the efforts of DEWA to encourage the active participation of women in their development process, Al Tayer stated that the Women’s Committee came into being as part of DEWA’s efforts to create an interactive and positive platform for women to become strategic partners in sustainable development. “Our visionary leadership has always been committed to strengthening the role of women and female employees by providing them with adequate support. The nation has been focused on sharpening their skills by providing the appropriate educational, training, and professional environment to further strengthen our country’s continued progress. Thanks to the ground-breaking efforts that have been introduced several years ago, women today are active and strategic partners in the sustainable development process,” said Al Tayer. “They are also global role models; having demonstrated their excellence in all fields, thus inspiring future generations. Women are a fundamental pillar of our society, a fact emphasized by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who highlighted the importance of providing support to women, when he said that, a place without women, is a place without spirit.’” “Emirati women have achieved remarkable successes led by the guidance of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who has continuously asserted that Emirati women must also take up great responsibilities because they are no less than men. This is nothing new. In the past, when men used to travel for many months for trading or diving, women would take care of every single need of the family. They faced the toughest living conditions possible. ,” HE Al Tayer added. “The wise leadership of our country did not spare any effort to enhance the role of women in the society, and eliminate the obstacles and challenges standing in their way. The Government of Dubai has also been keen to fulfill the needs of women by establishing women’s committees in government organizations, and launching the nurseries project in government departments. Various other social-development projects have also been introduced, which are aligned and integrated to form a tangible embodiment of this vision to empower women”, said Al Tayer. “To help achieve this, DEWA launched its own Women’s Committee in 2010 as part of its relentless pursuit to strengthen Emirati women, empower their role at all levels and fields, and meet DEWA’s social obligations to support the many facets of society today. The Committee shares insights and experience, thus boosting awareness amongst ladies in the workplace on various issues that affect us all,” HE concluded. Dr. Mona Al Bahar, Member of the Federal National Council and Assistant Director General for Care and Community Services at the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, stressed the fact that the UAE’s leadership is keen to empower Emirati women socially, educationally, culturally, healthily and occupationally through a comprehensive and integrated approach that can effectively push forward the march of urban development in the UAE. “The support and care of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, played the greatest part in the march of Emirati women and has contributed to promoting and empowering women and protecting their rights.” “Ladies in the workplace have achieved a lot of success and proved that they are capable of participating in promoting UAE society in all walks of life due to the fact that they have creative thinking, illuminated vision and considerable influence in all fields.” Dr. Al Bahar praised DEWA’s efforts to highlight the achievements made by all the ladies who work there in different fields and who excel in their work and set good examples to follow. She also stressed the importance of women’s committees in government organizations and departments to focus on initiatives and activities that empower women. She also hailed the women’s committee at DEWA and its effective role in establishing a platform that promotes positive interaction, social closeness, disseminate the spirit of teamwork, and promote women social, cultural and sports activities. “In this respect, there will be closer collaboration and coordination with the women’s committee at DEWA to foster communication and work to provide women in the workplace with the necessary qualifications, empower them, and garner their feedback, comments and issues to encourage more creativity and innovation. This will be reflected positively on society in general and family in particular,” said Dr. Al Bahar. “The laws of the federal government clearly support the rights of ladies in the workplace, to succeed in their jobs and facilitate all possible means for that success to take place on a continuous level,” said Khawla Al Mehairi, Chairperson of the Women’s Committee at DEWA. Al Mehairi also expressed her gratitude for the support provided by the leadership for the women and the initiatives of the committee, Al Mehairi said the Committee is keen to improve its activities and fulfill expectations in accordance with the strategic vision of DEWA. “Our leaders have encouraged us by providing the support and creating the potential to overcome the challenges women face, especially those of us in the workplace. What we see in front of us is the reality of an increased role for women at work and in society. We see how women have become increasingly-important participants in economic and social development,” said Al Mehairi. Stressing the importance of encouraging women to work in all sectors, Al Mehairi pointed out that the UAE has the highest percentage of women graduates in the GCC and the highest level of women in the workplace as well. Women from the UAE are achieving remarkable success both in education and work, eventually becoming key participants in administration and contributing to the development of the country, Al Mehairi said. Currently, the total number of female employees at DEWA is 981, with their scopes of work ranging across all sectors and departments. This number constitutes a percentage total of 11% of all staff recruited by DEWA. Emirati employees account for 77% of the total female workforce, while 48% of women make up the total number of the Emirati workforce. There are also 200 Emirati female employees working in DEWA’s technical branches and 556 in administrative sectors. The ceremony included a range of activities including presenting awards to partners from government organizations that contributed to the committee’s success, and a play on domestic violence by the Emirates Humans Rights Association. Finally, for ladies only, there were both a traditional wedding show and a local fashion show.