Dubai Electricity & Water Authority (DEWA) | DEWA organises 3rd Emirati Women's Forum under the theme ‘Women are Partners in Giving’

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has organised the 3rd Emirati Women's Forum, under the theme, ‘Women are Partners in Giving.’ A large number of women leaders and officials from the public and private sectors in the UAE took part in the forum, which was held at the Armani hotel in Dubai. The forum celebrated Emirati Women's Day, which takes place on 28 August each year.

On behalf of HE Saeed Mohamed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA, Khawla Al Mehairi, Acting Executive Vice President of Strategy & Government Communications at DEWA and Chairperson of the DEWA Women’s Committee, delivered the opening speech at the forum.

The forum was attended by HE Fatima Al Foora Al Shamsi, Assistant Undersecretary for Electricity and Future Energy at the Ministry of Energy, HE Humaid Rashid Al Shamsi, International Aid Adviser to the Emirates Red Crescent, HE Shamsa Saleh, CEO of Dubai Women Establishment, Dr Mona Al Bahar, CEO and Member of the Board of Trustees at Al Jalila Cultural Centre for Children, Abdullah Obaidullah, Executive Vice President of Water and Civil at DEWA, Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, Director of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, Dr Fatima Mohammed Saeed Al Falasi, Director General of the Dubai Women's Association, Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson of Emirates Environmental Group, and a number of officials and members of women’s committees from the public and private sectors, as well as female staff from DEWA.

Dubai Municipality, the Dubai Department of Finance, the Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi, the Dubai Women Association, the Awqaf and Minor Affairs Foundation, and Dubai Foundation for Women and Children, all took part in the Forum. 

“It’s my honour to congratulate every mother, sister, and daughter in the UAE on the occasion of Emirati Women’s Day, which was announced by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, who is known by us as the Mother of the Nation. The theme of Emirati Women’s Day this year is ‘Women are partners in giving’ in recognition of the important role that women play in humanitarian work, and fits well with the Year of Giving, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE. We celebrate Emirati Women’s Day this year when women have made successes and accomplishments in all sorts of careers, thanks to the approach of our wise leadership. We are proud of the UAE's achievements in empowering society through women, and the policies and legislations that have contributed to enhancing women’s empowerment that was initiated by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who was a strong supporter of women. During the World Government Summit, last February, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, revealed that 70% of UAE women are university graduates, 70% are employed in government, and one-third of the Council of Ministers members are women. His Highness noted that 50% of the Council members will be women in the near future,” said Al Tayer.

“’Women are Partners in Giving’ emphasises the approach of giving that is deeply rooted in the hearts of Emirati men and women. I extend my thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, for his efforts to provide every support to the mothers and wives of martyrs who have given the finest examples of giving to their homeland.”

Al Tayer noted that this theme reflects the role of Emirati women in giving and their participation in all areas including volunteering and charitable work. We are proud of the efforts of Emirati women and their effective contributions in establishing the global position of the UAE in humanitarian work. I take this opportunity to thank DEWA’s female staff of over 1,860 ladies and I commend the role of volunteers who spend long hours volunteering outside office hours. In 2016, DEWA’s female staff contributed over 50% of the total volunteering hours of 12,900 hours. They worked effectively and efficiently in humanitarian and social projects and initiatives.

“One of the latest humanitarian projects that DEWA female staff took part in was the Risalat Khair, our international volunteering programme, which DEWA organised in Tajikistan, in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment, and the UAE Water Aid Foundation. Seven male and eight female employees each volunteered to work 10 hours a day for five days in this unique humanitarian project. DEWA has approved 12 main programmes to provide 27 social and humanitarian initiatives that support the three themes of the Year of Giving. This is done within an integrated organisational framework that ensures institutionalising volunteering work and sustainability of results. DEWA’s CSR efforts over the last few years have contributed to an increase in community satisfaction and happiness, from 82% in 2013, to 89% in 2016. DEWA also received many international awards in CSR, including the MVO8000 in CSR, becoming the first government organisation in Dubai to receive this global recognition,” noted Al Tayer.

“While we appreciate the effective role of women in building and developing society and serving the nation and contributing to its prosperity, we emphasise the key role that DEWA plays in empowering women in the energy sector and promoting their capabilities so that they empower society as a whole,” concluded Al Tayer.

Fatima Al Shamsi emphasised that the UAE leadership provides the environment that empowers women in all areas. She urged Emirati women to benefit from all the opportunities that the UAE provides for them.

Humaid Shamsi highlighted the significant role of women in volunteering and charity, noting that out of 5,000 volunteers in the Emirates Red Crescent, 3,500 volunteers are women.

“Celebrating Emirati Women’s Day is an honour by our wise leadership for Emirati women and their successes. Emirati women have contributed to the overall development of the UAE and working along men on charitable initiatives. The UAE has many fine examples of charity and humanitarian acts by women of all ages, showing how charity is deeply rooted in Emirati society,” said Saleh.

The forum included a panel discussion on ‘Challenges facing women in volunteering and charity work’. Dr Mona Al Bahar, Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei, and Aisha Saeed Harib, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at the Community Development Authority, and General Coordinator for the National Service Youth Council, took part in the panel discussion, which was moderated by Diala Al-Ali.

Another panel discussion on ‘Youth and Charity’ was moderated by Fatima Al Jokar, Assistant Legal Adviser at DEWA and member of DEWA’s Youth Council. Khalid bin Tamim, Founder of the Social Hub initiative and Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Ramadan Aman voluntary initiative, Jawaher Al Muhairi, Member of the Dubai Youth Council, and Aisha Al Shaer, took part in the discussion panel. Al Shaer spoke about her experience in the voluntary programme that DEWA organised in Tajikistan.

A video about the role of Emirati women at DEWA and their efforts in voluntary work during the Year of Giving was shown at the forum.

At the end of the forum, Abdullah Obaidullah and Khawla Al Meheiri, on behalf of Al Tayer, honoured partners of DEWA Women’s Committee and its female volunteers.