Gender balance
The UAE Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026 aims to enhance the UAE’s ranking in global competitiveness reports on gender equality and achieve gender balance in decision-making positions. The UAE Gender Balance Council carries out several functions, including reviewing legislations, policies and programmes to achieve gender balance in the workplace. Gender Balance Guide recommends actions for organisations to implement commitment and oversight for gender balance, integrate gender into policies and programmes and engage personnel towards gender balance.
National Platform for Gender Balance
The National Platform for Gender Balance features a central display panel for gender balance data at federal and local government levels, along with a governance system for performance data, projects and targets. Each emirate will have a dedicated display panel to update its data.
It will function as a powerful instrument for assessing and overseeing gender balance data, initiatives, and accomplishments in the federal government, local administrations, and the private sector. The platform serves as a unifying force, providing essential data on gender balance at both federal and local government levels.
It will be instrumental in fostering a culture of gender balance as an ingrained institutional value within the government sector. This initiative propels the UAE Government to new heights, further cementing its reputation as a leading nation offering the highest living standards for all residents, making it an ideal destination to live, work and prosper.
UAE Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026
Read about UAE Gender Balance Council Strategy 2026.
The UAE Gender Balance Council
In May 2015, the Government adopted a decision to establish UAE's Gender Balance Council to ensure that Emirati women continue to play a leading role in the development of the UAE. The Council is charged to oversee the implementation of best practices and processes to ensure federal institutions achieve their gender balance targets, which will support the UAE's vision to become one of the world's top 25 countries for gender equality by 2021. The Council carries out several functions, including reviewing legislation, policies and programmes to achieve gender balance in the workplace.
Objectives:
- Reduce the gender gap across all government sectors in the UAE
- Enhance the UAE’s ranking in global competitiveness reports on gender balance
- Promote gender balance in decision-making positions
- Establish the UAE as a role model for gender balance
- Promote the UAE’s status as a benchmark for gender balance legislation
Responsibilities of the Council:
- Reviewing current legislation, policies and programs, and proposing or updating new legislation or programs in order to achieve gender balance in the workplace.
- Recommending the implementation of laws, regulations, resolutions and international agreements related to gender balance, in order to ensure non-discrimination against women.
- Reviewing and monitoring international competitiveness reports, and developing programs, plans and policies aimed at reducing the gender gap in the workplace.
- Proposing gender balance indexes and submitting them to the Council of Ministers for approval, in addition to seeking to promote the implementation of said indexes in the country in coordination with the local authorities.
- Coordinating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to represent the United Arab Emirates in international circles, and proposing cooperation agreements and joint programs.
- Creating a database related to gender balance in the workplace.
- Submitting regular reports to the Council of Ministers pertaining to the achieved progress, initiatives, projects and requirements of the Council in order to achieve its goals.
- Any other tasks related to the Council’s objectives, commissioned by the Council of Ministers.
Gender Balance Guide
In September 2017, the Gender Balance Council launched the Gender Balance Guide: Actions for UAE Organisations prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The guide recommends actions for organisations to:
- Implement commitment and oversight for gender balance
- Integrate gender into policies and programmes
- Engage personnel towards gender balance
- Implement gender balance in leadership positions
- Implement gender sensitive communication.
Source: Gender Balance Guide
The guide aims to aid in bringing gender balance in the society and achieve the pillars of the UAE Vision. Read the Gender Balance Guide (PDF 120 KB).
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