The UAE has ranked seventh on a global list of nations for efforts to promote gender equality.
The nation also ranked first in the region on the Gender Inequality Index, which is part of a UN human development report.
The report ranked countries on their efforts to reduce inequality between women and men.
The country with the best record was Denmark, with Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, the Netherlands and Finland making up the top six.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has praised the efforts of his daughter Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed as president of the UAE Gender Balance Council.
I'm proud of my daughter, Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, and her successful leadership on this national project, a distinguished team and a distinguished achievement," Sheikh Mohammed said on X.
The UAE has moved up four places from its previous ranking in last year's index.
“Improving the UAE’s ranking in global reports and indicators strengthens its position as a global and regional model for gender balance,” said Sheikha Manal in remarks carried by Dubai Media Office.
Sheikha Manal added the UAE's commitment to empowering women was paying off. "Today, they [women] are key decision-makers in pivotal sectors, supporting our nation's global leadership aspirations,” she said.
The next best-placed GCC country was Bahrain in 45th, Kuwait 51st, Qatar 54th, with Saudi Arabia in 55th place. Oman was in 66th position.
The report used a number of criteria such as percentage of women in parliament and women with secondary school education.
The UAE's 50 per cent of female MPs was topped only by New Zealand's 50.4 per cent.
In November, the UAE launched a drive to increase the number of women working in the industrial sector.
The UAE Gender Balance Council was created in 2015 to help with the goal of becoming one of the world's top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021.
The UAE committed an additional $15 million to UN Women in 2023 over the course of three years to promote gender equality, empower women and girls worldwide and advance their participation in conflict prevention and peace-building.
The country is currently serving on the UN Women executive board. It previously served as member of the board from 2013-2019 and as its president in 2017.
A campaign was also launched last year by UN Women to tackle gender equality in the workplace. The Women's Empowerment Principles drive is the result of a collaboration between the UN Women UAE Liaison Office for the GCC and the General Women's Union.
The latest Gender Inequality Index refers to data from 2022 or the most recent year available, the report stated.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Liverpool v Manchester United - 3.30pm
Burnley v West Ham United - 6pm
Crystal Palace v Chelsea - 6pm
Manchester City v Stoke City - 6pm
Swansea City v Huddersfield Town - 6pm
Tottenham Hotspur v Bournemouth - 6pm
Watford v Arsenal - 8.30pm
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton - 4.30pm
Southampton v Newcastle United - 7pm
Monday
Leicester City v West Bromwich Albion - 11pm
Slow loris biog
From: Lonely Loris is a Sunda slow loris, one of nine species of the animal native to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore
Status: Critically endangered, and listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list due to growing demand in the global exotic pet trade. It is one of the most popular primate species found at Indonesian pet markets
Likes: Sleeping, which they do for up to 18 hours a day. When they are awake, they like to eat fruit, insects, small birds and reptiles and some types of vegetation
Dislikes: Sunlight. Being a nocturnal animal, the slow loris wakes around sunset and is active throughout the night
Superpowers: His dangerous elbows. The slow loris’s doe eyes may make it look cute, but it is also deadly. The only known venomous primate, it hisses and clasps its paws and can produce a venom from its elbow that can cause anaphylactic shock and even death in humans
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
