Dubai Women Establishment (DWE) organised the first gathering of the second batch of mentees for the “Young Emirati Women for Success!” (YES!) Mentorship Programme, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of DWE, and wife of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court.
The programme aims to enhance the professional and leadership skills of Emirati women and increase their participation in socio-economic development by providing them with the required skills that will help them become highly competent professionals able to overcome challenges, utilise their abilities and establish projects through the exchange of experience and knowledge throughout the programme.
The meeting was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Jumeirah, in the presence of the ambassadors of the Nordic countries to the UAE: Liselott Andersson, Ambassador of Sweden, Marriane Nissilä, Ambassador of Finland, Anders Bjørn Hansen, Ambassador of Denmark, Sten Arne Rosnes, Ambassador of Norway, and Shamsa Saleh, CEO of DWE, and 20 mentees who are female employees from the government, private and semi-governmental sectors, in addition to 20 professionals from Nordic countries. They belong to a variety of specialisations in the public and private sectors. They will provide guidance and counselling for female employees throughout the programme, which lasts for an entire year.
During her opening speech, Shamsa Saleh expressed her thanks to the ambassadors of the Nordic countries for their support for this programme, which is the result of a memorandum of cooperation signed with them during the Global Women’s Forum Dubai 2020. The committed cooperation and partnership relations between the UAE and the Nordic countries, shows the unwavering support for women’s professional development; emphasising the tremendous success of the first batch of this programme, which concluded with a certificate distribution ceremony for female participants at the Kingdom of Sweden’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai in October of last year.
She added that this programme is a realisation of the directives of H.H. Sheikha Manal to elevate the status of working women, highlight their role, enhance their professional and leadership capabilities, and increase their participation in economic life. DWE’s vision has always been to pioneer distinction amongst working women, to help provide them with the tools and opportunities that will guide their sense of direction in their career trajectories, which will be achieved through opportunities like the YES! Mentorship Programme, which is in collaboration with international institutions and countries that have outstanding experience in policies that support women, especially the Nordic countries.
Shamsa Saleh added,
“There are many future possibilities that allow us to provide more opportunities in various disciplines and sectors while optimally investing in their abilities, for more women to join the labour market; allowing us to encourage a new generation of women leaders.”
Shamsa Saleh confirmed that supporting the career path of working women is the primary and one of the most important objectives of DWE; its work strategy stemming from the vision and objectives of Dubai’s government.
She said,
"Through the programme, we seek to exchange experiences and knowledge with the Nordic countries based on a common vision that supports women in various fields and at all levels, in line with Dubai Women Establishment’s keenness to achieve the maximum benefit for its affiliates by providing them with the necessary expertise to build and acquire personal and professional skills that will contribute to preparing them for the future and to benefit the institutions they belong to by enhancing the capabilities of their human resources.”
The Ambassador Finland to the UAE, Marriane Nissilä, spoke at the opening session, praising DWE's YES! Mentorship programme, which will contribute to developing the professional capabilities of female employees, and said:
“This programme provides us with an excellent basis for strengthening cooperation between the UAE and the Nordic countries – Nordic countries have gotten where they are — being some of the happiest, most stable and equal countries in the world. I know you share the same conviction and ambition here in the UAE and that women already occupy many key positions. And it was able to achieve this by investing the talents of all its residents, not just half of the population.”
From her side, the Swedish Ambassador said,
“It is a great honour to work closely with DWE on this important initiative on women empowerment. Women’s active participation in the workforce is crucial for sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development, and key to fulfil UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”
Ambassador Hansen praised the programme by saying,
“We are pleased to be a part of the distinguished programme that has strengthened the relationships between Denmark and the UAE, as we share common visions – Gender equality is a long-standing key priority in Denmark, and we are happy to be part of the YES! Mentorship Programme.”
During the launch of the 2nd batch of the YES! Mentorship Programme, a panel discussion session, moderated by Sultana Saif, Director of the Women Development Department at Dubai Women Establishment, and participated by Pauline Madani, a previous mentor and Jawaher Al Shemeri, a previous mentee, regarding the importance of the programme and opportunities to benefit from it to develop the professional and leadership skills of female employees and a work environment conducive to success.
Shamsa Saleh also thanked the mentors participating in the programme, praising their expertise in various fields, and also thanked the participants of this course, noting that some of them are at the beginning of their careers, which reflects the importance of the programme as a platform for acquiring professional experiences, wishing them success and benefiting from the programme.S
She also emphasised the positive impact of the first batch of the programme on its affiliates, mentors and mentees and their desire for its continuity, as it represents an ideal platform for direct contact and exchange of opinion and experiences between different generations linked by shared visions and aspirations on the best ways of professional and career success and team leadership.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
