UAE ranked number 1 in region for gender balance: Sheikh Mohammed

The UAE has made landmark achievements in the field of gender balance by achieving its 2021 equality goals ahead of time.

The country has been ranked 18th globally and the first regionally in the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 2020 Gender Inequality Index (GII). This is a landmark achievement for the UAE as it has risen eight positions from its previously-held ranking of 26th in 2019.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce, “We set a goal for the UAE Gender Balance Council to make the UAE one the world’s top 25 countries in the field of gender balance by 2021.

Even before the end of 2020, the UAE has been ranked No.1 in the Arab world and 18th on the Gender Inequality Index.” The UAE Gender Balance Council was founded in 2015.

Sheikh Mohammed congratulated Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation, for the achievement.

Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council, President of Dubai Women Establishment, said: “In the UAE, we work towards clear, specific, and ambitious goals within a motivating atmosphere that enables us to excel and distinguish ourselves in the global arena.”

“The UAE has become a role model in the Arab world and across the region for policies supporting gender balance and for its efforts to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’, by 2030,” she added.

UAE’s standing in the report

The 2010 Human Development Report introduced the GII, which reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions — reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity.

According to the report, the UAE has a GII value of 0.079, ranking it 18 out of 162 countries in the 2019 index. “In the UAE, 50 per cent of parliamentary seats are held by women, and 76 per cent of adult women have reached at least a secondary level of education compared to 81.0 per cent of their male counterparts,”

“For every 100,000 live births, 3.0 women die from pregnancy-related causes; and the adolescent birth rate is 6.5 births per 1,000 women of ages 15-19. Female participation in the labour market is 52.4 per cent compared to 93.4 for men,” it added.

In comparison, Bahrain and Qatar are ranked at 49 and 43, respectively, on this index.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

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• Abu Dhabi