Eight companies join gender balance pledge
MANAL HAILS PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE TO INITIATIVE
Gender balance is becoming more established in various sectors of the country, said Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the UAE Gender Balance Council.
She hailed the positive response of private sector institutions to the SDG 5 Pledge to Accelerate Gender Balance in the UAE Private Sector initiative, which aims to enhance gender balance in the private sector by raising women’s participation in senior and middle management roles to 30 per cent by 2025.
The UAE GBC announced that eight major national and international companies in the country joined the pledge, taking the total to 64.
Fifth signing ceremony
The fifth signing ceremony was held in the presence of Mona Ganem Al Marri, Vice-President of UAE GBC, and Chairperson of the Global Council on Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5 Gender Equality).
New companies joining the initiative include Emirates NBD, Pfizer, PwC Middle East, Nissan, Mercer, BSH Home Appliances Middle East, ENGIE, and Arabian Ethicals.
The signing of the pledge was followed by a round-table discussion in which Al Marri participated, alongside over 80 leaders of private sector companies who previously signed the pledge. Key topics included changes made at the organisational level since signing the pledge; policy gaps and opportunities around gender balance in the UAE; the future skills needed to meet UAE economic goals; and further ways to advance public-private collaboration and achieve the UAE vision.
In her opening speech, Al Marri pointed out that the initiative started with 18 companies in January 2022.
“The gender balance agenda is a priority for the UAE government, and the private sector is an indispensable partner in achieving parity across the economy and society,” she said.
“The power of partnerships and dialogue should not be underestimated — and together, we can build a more prosperous, thriving, and future-ready UAE for us all.”
New companies joining the initiative include Emirates NBD, Pfizer, PwC Middle East, Nissan, Mercer, BSH Home Appliances Middle East, ENGIE, and Arabian Ethicals.
Four pillars
The pledge includes four main pillars: Ensuring equal pay, promoting recruitment and promotion on the basis of gender equality, mainstreaming a gender balance perspective in policies and programmes in companies, and being transparent on gender equality steps.