More women to get board positions
dubai — The UAE Gender Balance Council recently held its second meeting for 2017 to discuss a variety of topics, including the preliminary results of the Gender Balance Index (GBI) across federal government entities, pension entitlements for the families of deceased female employees, the council’s brand identity, and updates on the UAE Gender Balance Guide.
In a key move — taken in line with the UAE Cabinet’s decision to make women’s representation on companies’ boards of directors compulsory — the council have signed an MoU with the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA) to enhance the participation of women on the boards of listed companies.
This move will support the UAE’s National Key Performance Indicators, and is aimed at strategic partnerships to enhance female participation in the workplace and achieve the UAE’s target of a 20 per cent female presence in the corporate boardrooms of listed companies by 2020.
During the past three months, the council collaborated with a number of national committees to support its objectives, including the National Committee on Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the Executive Teams of the National Agenda 2021 and Project Number One.
During the meeting — led by council vice-president Mona Al Marri — council members reviewed GBI’s preliminary results across federal government entities through a presentation provided by the Prime Minister’s Office’s team. It featured survey details of more than 64,000 federal government employees. The council is set to present the final results and raise awareness amongst government entities about the importance of establishing programmes and initiatives to support gender balance at work, and also honour entities through the UAE Gender Balance Seal.
Pension, Social Security Law
Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the council, directed its General Secretariat to study the Pension and Social Security Law, and ensure the rights of working women, including pension entitlements for heirs of deceased female employees.
The council has submitted its recommendations to the General Pension and Social Security Authority. It will collaborate with the authority and the Prime Minister’s Office, to amend the law and ensure equal treatment for the heirs of both female and male employees.
The council approved the launch of the ‘Gender Balance Guide’ in September, developed in collaboration with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, to serve as a comprehensive tool to help organisations promote gender balance.
reporters@Khaleejtimes.com