Under the guidance of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, known as the “Mother of the Nation”, the President of the General Women’s Union, the President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and the Honorary President of the Family Development Foundation, the General Women’s Union has announced the establishment of councils for Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries. This initiative serves as a platform for representation and economic empowerment, aimed at enhancing collaboration and partnerships between the UAE and allied nations in the domains of entrepreneurship, investment, and women’s development programs.
Each council will be co-chaired by representatives from both sides, supervised by the General Women’s Union, and coordinated with the UAE embassies in the respective countries, alongside relevant official and economic entities. This structure reflects the vision of “Mother of the Nation 50:50”, aimed at creating a dynamic global network of women leaders and promoting the role of Emirati women in the global economy.
The primary objective of these councils is to strengthen bilateral economic and developmental cooperation between the UAE and friendly nations in the areas of women’s empowerment and entrepreneurship. They strive to expand women’s participation in the international economy through collaborative investment initiatives and contribute to achieving sustainable development goals related to gender equality, decent work, economic growth, industry, innovation, and building international partnerships. Furthermore, they aim to showcase the Emirati experience and its partnership as models for women’s empowerment and sustainable development.
Cultural and Economic Communication
The councils focus on enhancing cultural and economic interactions between women in the UAE and friendly countries, fostering a sustainable, cross-border business environment that solidifies the position of Emirati women as effective developmental partners internationally.
The Emirati women entrepreneurs’ councils in friendly nations will undertake vital tasks, including activating institutional cooperation channels between official, economic, and academic entities in the UAE and allied countries to support economic empowerment programs for women. They will identify priority areas for collaboration and develop joint action plans for practical initiatives, launch both virtual and physical platforms for communication and coordination among women entrepreneurs and supporting institutions, as well as organize conferences, exhibitions, and joint forums to promote women-led projects and exchange economic expertise. Moreover, they will prepare joint analytical studies and reports on indicators of women’s economic empowerment and the evolution of entrepreneurship, participate in international and regional events that highlight efforts to support women, oversee the implementation of memorandums of understanding, and ensure measurable outcomes while submitting developmental recommendations to the General Women’s Union and relevant official entities.
The General Women’s Union has announced the launch of the first council under this initiative in the People’s Republic of China. This will be done through a training program titled “Emirati Women Entrepreneurs: Exploring the Business Environment in China,” in coordination with the UAE embassy in China.
This collaboration represents a practical initial experience for the councils and will extend over two weeks starting from November, covering four major Chinese cities: Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Yiwu.
The program aims at a select group of Emirati women entrepreneurs, providing a comprehensive experience to understand the Chinese economic environment, with a focus on e-commerce, digital transformation, innovation, and management of small and medium enterprises. It will also include cultural and knowledge exchanges through field visits to global companies and major trade fairs such as Alibaba, ByteDance, JD, and Amazon, as well as joint workshops with Chinese academic and economic institutions.
Innovative Initiatives
Noura Al Suwaidi, the Secretary-General of the General Women’s Union, stated that the councils for Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly countries are one of the distinctive initiatives launched by the union, guided by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, to enhance the international visibility of Emirati women through sustainable institutional platforms. She emphasized that these councils are designed to serve as bridges linking Emirati women entrepreneurs with their counterparts in various nations, facilitating the exchange of experiences, the development of joint projects, and fostering an economic environment supportive of innovation and women’s empowerment across borders. Moreover, she indicated that the collaboration with China serves as a practical model for building global women’s networks capable of influencing and creating positive change.
On her part, Amina Al Hammadi, Deputy Ambassador of the UAE to China, underscored the significance of this initiative, which embodies Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak’s directives in promoting Emirati women’s presence on international platforms. She pointed out that the establishment of councils for Emirati women entrepreneurs in friendly nations reflects the UAE leadership’s vision for building bridges of cooperation and partnership with different countries, representing a strategic step towards enhancing the economic and developmental role of Emirati women at both regional and international levels.
Engineer Ghaliya Ali Al Mannai, head of strategic and developmental affairs at the General Women’s Union, stated that these councils serve as a global platform for economic and cultural communication between the UAE and the world, aiming to empower women through institutional work and knowledge sharing.
She added that the launch of the UAE-China council is part of the General Women’s Union’s plan to expand this network globally, opening new horizons for trade and investment collaboration and enabling women entrepreneurs to establish innovative and sustainable partnerships.