Dewa honours female staff on Emirati Women's Day

Dubai - Several staff honoured for their contribution to excellence and global leadership

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) on Thursday hosted its seventh Emirati Women’s Forum and honoured several female Emirati staff who have contributed to Dewa’s excellence and global leadership.

Held under the theme: ‘Women: Ambitions & Inspiration for Next 50 Years,’ the event highlighted the journey of women empowerment in the UAE.

“Our celebration of Emirati Women’s Day this year is especially important on the Year of the Fiftieth, where we celebrate 50 years of the fastest and most noble journey in building the country and its people. This year, we increase our efforts to prepare for the upcoming 50 years of prosperity and benevolence, especially with the preparations to host the best version of Expo 2020 Dubai. On this occasion, I would like to congratulate Emirati women who proved their competence during the challenging year of 2020 in achieving the wise leadership’s vision to turn challenges into opportunities. They played a significant role in curbing the Covid-19 pandemic and accelerating its recovery process," said Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dewa.

"They are the main pillars of outstanding milestones achieved by the UAE over the past year, including their formation of 18 per cent of workers in the space sector and 34 per cent of the Hope Probe team, which is considered one of the highest percentages worldwide. Women also play a leading role on the frontline against the COVID-19 pandemic, as they form 64 per cent of doctors, nurses, and technicians in the country’s health sector,” he added.

There are 1,943 female employees at Dewa across its divisions. This includes 720 women in the engineering and technical sectors and 311 employees in managerial positions. Emirati women form 81.5 per cent of the total female workforce at Dewa. More than a third of the R&D Centre’s staff are Emirati women who are highly educated in science and engineering areas.

Sara Mohammad Falaknaz, Federal National Council Member, emphasised that the UAE’s wise leadership paid remarkable attention to women; supporting and empowering them in all areas, as well as helping them build confidence in their ability to achieve success and excellence across all areas of work. She noted that there are numerous examples of women who have raised the UAE’s flag fluttering high regionally and globally. Emirati women represent their country in various international forums across all sectors. The UAE has invested in the success of women, which has led to several achievements over the past five decades and will continue to play a more efficient and influential role in achieving the UAE’s strategy for the next fifty years.

The seventh Emirati Women’s Forum included a variety of panel discussions. The event was attended by Sara Mohammad Falaknaz, Federal National Council Member; Dr Hessa Lootah, Media Professor and first Emirati female TV director; and Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of Primary Healthcare Services Sector, Dubai Health Authority. —suneeti@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai