Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, today said the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) leadership is sparing no effort in providing opportunities for Emirati women to prosper, be empowered and strengthen their contribution to enabling economic and social progress in the country.
In a speech delivered virtually on her behalf by Her Excellency Dr. Maitha bint Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State and Special Representative for H.H. Sheikha Fatima, she noted that the UAE has made remarkable progress in empowering women and praised the contribution of Emirati women in the fight against COVID-19.
H.H. Sheikha Fatima was speaking at a virtual event organized by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) to celebrate the UAE’s 6th annual Emirati Women’s Day and recognize the accomplishments of ADNOC’s female workforce as the company responds to COVID-19.
Following H.H. Sheikha Fatima’s remarks, His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology and ADNOC Group CEO expressed appreciation for the steadfast support of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the Mother of the Nation – as well as that of the UAE Leadership – in inspiring Emirati women to be key partners in the long-term growth and prosperity of the nation.
H.E. Dr. Al Jaber highlighted how ADNOC’s female workforce displayed resilience and leadership as they played a key role, alongside their male colleagues, in ensuring the health and wellbeing of all ADNOC’s employees and enabling business continuity as the company responds to COVID-19.
He stressed the importance of a diverse workplace and said ADNOC is building on its momentum of delivering on its gender diversity pledges as it looks to further empower women in leadership and technical roles across its organization.
ADNOC has made strong and steady progress in driving greater inclusion of women and in particular, Emirati women, over the past four years.
In 2017, ADNOC set a target of increasing the percentage of women in leadership roles to 15 percent by 2020. This goal has since been exceeded, with over 16 percent of women now in leadership positions. During the same period, ADNOC increased by almost 90 percent the number of its female engineers to 1,062.
In addition, the company has appointed three female CEOs to lead its operating companies and is making progress on the target it set last year of ensuring at least one woman sits on the board of every ADNOC Group company by 2022. Today, 15 out of ADNOC’s 17 boards have female representation with 22 females across the boards.
To reinforce ADNOC’s commitment to empowering women and ensuring they have the same opportunities as men across its organization, in line with the vision of H.H. Sheikha Fatima and the UAE leadership, H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said ADNOC will double female representation in its technical positions to 25 percent by 2030.
H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said: “We are proud to have delivered on our pledges to drive gender diversity ahead of schedule. We are thankful for the support and guidance of the UAE’s wise leadership which has enabled this achievement.
“We have increased the percentage of women in leadership roles across ADNOC and appointed three very competent female CEOs who are all playing crucial roles in ensuring that we continue to deliver value for the UAE. Their achievements serve as a testament to the vision and unwavering efforts of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, to support and enable women to fully contribute to the economic progress of the UAE.
“As we celebrate Emirati Women’s Day, we are reaffirming our commitment to empowering women by pledging to double the number of female representation in technical roles by 2030. This latest goal further demonstrates the great emphasis we place on ensuring women have the same opportunities as men to work in all areas and at all levels across the ADNOC Group. The goal is an important strategic imperative for us and central to the diversity pillar of our 2030 sustainability strategy.”
H.E. Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology also spoke at the event that aligns with this year’s official theme “Preparing for the Next 50 Years: Women are the Support of the Nation.”
H.E. Al Amiri said: “Today, on Emirati Women’s day, I stand with the UAE in its continued commitment to the inclusion and participation of women in all areas of society. Our continued investment in women’s education and the recognition of their growing contributions in all areas of government is vital to the future of our prosperity. We recognize and thank H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union, for her important work in these goals and for paving the path for women and girls to achieve their full potential throughout the country.”
ADNOC is also focusing on nurturing young female Emirati talent, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) to help bridge the gender diversity gap. This is reflected in the fact that about 45 percent of the recipients of its scholarship program consists of female students and between 2017 to 2019, there was an over 150 percent increase in female joiners to ADNOC, with Emirati women making up almost 17 percent of new UAE graduate intakes during this period.
ADNOC’s Emirati Women’s Day event focused on women’s empowerment, gender diversity, and inclusivity, and was broadcasted live to its employees across its operations.
