UAE Gender Balance Council restructured to boost equality drive

The UAE Cabinet on Thursday approved changes to the country's Gender Balance Council in support of a major drive to provide equal opportunities.

The Cabinet, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, agreed a resolution to reorganise the body in an effort to expand its scope and strengthen its role in shaping legislation and guiding decision-making.

The UAE Gender Balance Council was established in May 2015 with the remit of ensuring Emirati women play a leading role in the development of the country and to help the Emirates become a global leader in championing equal rights.

Reporting directly to the Cabinet, the council's key functions include proposing and reviewing legislation, policies and programmes to achieve gender balance in the workplace.

The council is expected to develop frameworks to measure progress and conduct specialised studies domestically and globally.

The resolution included the restructuring of the membership of the council, which is chaired by Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed.

The new-look council comprises Mona Al Marri, Vice President; Younis Al Khoori, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance; Abdullah Al Saleh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Economy; Omar Al Shamsi, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Huda Al Hashimi, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs; Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary General of the General Women's Union; Reem Al Falasi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood; Faisal Al Muhairi, Director General of the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources; Hanan Mansour Ahli, Managing Director of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre; Khalid Al Harmoodi, Assistant Secretary General for Cabinet Affairs Support; Hessa Tahlak, Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Community Development; and Ahmed Al Nasser, Assistant Undersecretary for Labour Market Policies at the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation.

Sheikha Manal, also president of the council, praised the UAE government for prioritising gender balance as a national goal.

She said the council will redouble its efforts to bolster equality and work closely with the government and private sector to fulfil its mission.

She hailed the outstanding contributions already being made by Emirati women across a range of sectors.

Making strides

The UAE has taken significant steps to empower Emirati women and provide a platform for progress.

The UAE made the decision in December 2018 to ensure that 50 per cent of the Federal National Council – the country's consultative parliamentary body – would be women.

Meanwhile, more than a quarter of ministers serving in the UAE Cabinet are now women.

Women also constitute 46 per cent of Stem – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – graduates in the UAE and 80 per cent of the scientific leadership team in the Emirates Mars Mission.

In September, the UAE issued a directive requiring private companies to ensure female representation on boards of directors to bolster gender equality efforts.

The move, announced by the Ministry of Economy, was aimed at private joint-stock companies and came into force in January.

Such companies are businesses owned by their investors and require a board of directors to oversee operations.

In March 2024, the UAE was ranked seventh on a global list of nations for efforts to promote gender equality on the Gender Inequality Index, which is part of a UN human development report.

Bridging the gap

The global gender gap has closed at its fastest rate since the Covid-19 pandemic, but parity could be as much as 123 years away, a World Economic Forum report issued in June found.

WEF's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 revealed improvements had been made to remove barriers to progress for women but much work was still to be done.