In a significant initiative aimed at boosting women’s entrepreneurship globally, the General Women’s Union has launched councils for women entrepreneurs in friendly countries. The program will serve as a platform for representing and empowering Emirati women business leaders, fostering collaboration and partnerships between the United Arab Emirates and friendly nations in entrepreneurship, investment, and women-centric developmental programs.
Under the guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, known as “Mother of the Emirates,” the General Women’s Union has set out to establish councils of Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries. This initiative embodies a strategic vision that aims to create a robust global network of female leaders, enhancing the presence of Emirati women in the international economy.
Enhancing Economic and Developmental Cooperation
The primary goal of these councils is to bolster economic and developmental cooperation between the UAE and its friendly nations, focusing on empowering women entrepreneurs. By expanding opportunities for women in the global economy through joint investment initiatives, the councils also align with sustainable development goals related to gender equality, decent work, and economic growth. They will spotlight the UAE’s experience and its partnerships as exemplary models for empowering women and promoting sustainable development.
The councils emphasize the importance of cultural and economic communication among women in both the UAE and friendly nations, thus cultivating a cross-border sustainable business environment. This initiative aims to affirm the role of Emirati women as effective developmental partners on an international scale.
Joint Action Plans for Practical Initiatives
The councils of Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries will undertake various crucial tasks, including activating institutional cooperation channels among official, economic, and academic entities in both the UAE and friendly nations. These endeavors aim to facilitate economic empowerment programs for women, identify priority areas for collaboration, and develop joint action plans to implement practical initiatives. Additional efforts will include launching virtual and on-ground platforms to communicate and coordinate with women entrepreneurs and supporting institutions, as well as organizing conferences, exhibitions, and forums to promote women’s projects and exchange economic experiences.
Furthermore, the councils will prepare joint analytical studies and reports on key indicators of women’s economic empowerment and entrepreneurship development. Participation in international and regional events will also highlight efforts to support women, ensuring measurable outcomes from collaborative agreements while providing recommendations to the General Women’s Union and relevant official entities.
Inaugural Council Launched in the People’s Republic of China
The General Women’s Union has proudly announced the launch of its first council as part of this initiative in the People’s Republic of China. The program, titled “Emirati Women Entrepreneurs: Exploring the Business Environment in China,” is coordinated with the UAE Embassy in China. This collaboration represents a practical application of the councils’ objectives in real-world settings.
Spanning two weeks starting from early November, this program will cover four major Chinese cities — Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Yiwu. The initiative seeks to provide Emirati women entrepreneurs with a comprehensive experience to understand the Chinese economic landscape, with a special focus on e-commerce, digital transformation, innovation, and managing small and medium-sized enterprises. Cultural and knowledge exchange will involve visits to major global companies and large trade fairs such as Alibaba, ByteDance, JD, and Amazon, alongside joint workshops with Chinese academic and economic institutions.
Strengthening the UAE Woman’s Global Presence
According to Noura Al Suwaidi, Secretary-General of the General Women’s Union, the councils of Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries represent a significant initiative aimed at enhancing the UAE woman’s global presence through sustainable institutional platforms. She emphasized that these councils are designed to serve as a bridge connecting Emirati businesswomen with their counterparts in various countries, promoting experience exchange, developing joint projects, and creating an economic environment conducive to innovation and women’s empowerment across borders.
Al Suwaidi added that the collaboration with China exemplifies a practical model for building global women’s networks capable of effecting positive change.
Building Bridges of Cooperation and Partnership
Emphasizing the importance of this initiative, Amina Al Hammadi, Deputy Ambassador of the UAE to the People’s Republic of China, stated that the launch of councils for Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly nations is a direct manifestation of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s directives to enhance the UAE woman’s presence on international platforms. This move reflects the UAE leadership’s vision of building bridges of cooperation and partnership with various countries, marking a strategic step towards enhancing the economic and developmental role of Emirati women regionally and globally.
Engineer Ghalia Ali Al Manaai, Head of Strategic and Development Affairs at the General Women’s Union, expressed that the councils of Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries serve as a global platform for economic and cultural communication between the UAE and the world. They aim to empower women through institutional work and exchange of knowledge and opportunities.
The inception of the UAE-China council aligns with the General Women’s Union’s broader strategy to globally expand its networks, creating new avenues for trade and investment collaboration while allowing women entrepreneurs to establish high-quality partnerships founded on innovation and sustainable development. The General Women’s Union, under Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s leadership, continues its mission to empower Emirati women locally and internationally, affirming that these new councils are a strategic step toward a global economy in which Emirati women actively participate in shaping sustainable development.